Calypso
by Cyllene
Summary: When Calypso is left stranded on the street, she turns to the Jellicles for refuge. But she has no idea what they have in store for her... Chapters 27, 28, 29 and 30 FINALLY UP!
1. A Break for Freedom

**Okay, this is my first story. Feedback is much appreciated! :)**

**There will be more to come...**

**Chapter 1- A Break for Freedom**

It's funny the way friendships are forged. You can meet someone in the most unexpected turn of events, and you find you have something in common. That was what happened to me. This is my story, the story of my life.

I suppose I should start by introducing myself. My name is Pixie Calypso, although I prefer to be called by my Jellicle name. I am, after all, a Jellicle cat. That is hardly surprising, since all cats are Jellicle cats. Pixie is my human name. Believe me, it is extremely humiliating to be called 'Pixie'. My Jellicle name, Calypso, is the only thing that gives me my dignity. After all, Greek mythology is pretty dignified.

Since the beginning of my kittenhood, I had been a housecat. My owners were very careful to not let me out. It frustrated me greatly to be trapped, to not know the outside world. Now approaching my third birthday, one of my owners carelessly left the door open for just a moment, on an enticingly warm afternoon. I seized my chance, and bolted through the door to freedom. I had meant to come back, but I just had to see the outside world first. London was big, and exciting, and full of wonderful sights, sounds and aromas.

After a long day of wandering around crowded streets and dingy alleyways, I was tired and ready to come back home. I had experienced enough to last me a lifetime, in just one short day. I had been tickled under the chin by several friendly humans. I had chased a mouse for the first time in my life. (It had gotten away, but only just.) I had even gotten into a bit of a fight with another kitten, over a scrap of gristle. Sleepily, I padded up the steps of my owners' house, but stopped suddenly as I faced a closed door. I had expected that my owners would have left the door open for me to come back in, ready to welcome me into their loving arms. But that was not the case. For the first time in my life, I was completely alone.


	2. Discovery

**Yay! Two chapters in one day! This very long chapter makes up for the previous very short chapter. I am very pleased with myself, and the introduction of my favorite character, Munkustrap. Full of mush, but entertaining nonetheless. Review! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!**

**Chapter 2- Discovery**

I spent a cold and miserable night underneath my owners' car. For the first few hours, I had waited on the step to be let in. I had meowed, and eventually yowled, but to no avail. I was not let inside. In the wee hours of the morning, I finally crept out of my spot beneath the car, stiff and freezing. I wanted to be a housecat again. Freedom just wasn't that great. My normally silky fur was dirty from walking through the mud. My whiskers drooped, and my tail was matted and bloody in one spot from fighting with that other kitten. My once brilliant tabby coat, a mishmash of black and brown, with a white bib, was obscured by a single days worth of filth. Even so, a single days worth of filth is a lot for a cat. I was cold, and dirty, and I wanted to go home. I wandered off of my owners' lot, and down the deserted street, wondering where I was going to go. I knew that there were the occasional few cats living on the street, but I would much prefer to be someplace warm. Besides, I didn't like the look of some of those street cats. I sat down on a curb beneath a streetlight to think a while. That was when I heard it. A soft, gentle, yet strong voice.

"Are you lost, little queen?"

I looked up. The voice belonged to an extremely handsome tom. He was a silver and black tabby, medium sized, and extremely muscular and powerful. I felt rather embarrassed, being so grimy, but as I gazed into his large, soft hazel eyes, I quickly forgot my appearance. I couldn't help but like this tom. I sighed, unable to tear my gaze for his gorgeous features. Luckily, he mistook my sigh of longing for a sigh of sadness and confusion, for he looked at me with pity, and asked me why I was all alone outside in the middle of the night.

"My owners locked me out by accident, and now I don't know what to do..." I mumbled sheepishly. Much to my surprise, the tom grinned and chuckled.

"I know how that feels. The same thing happened to me when I was a kitten. I just _had_ to go and chase that robin that was flitting about on the lawn. I couldn't resist. But when I returned home and wanted back in, the door was shut." He grinned more broadly still.

"That was the last time I ever ran off to chase birds." He said, laughing.

I laughed a bit, too. I liked this tom. He was nice. There was silence while I tried to think of something witty to say in reply, but nothing came to mind. I settled on,

"So, if you aren't supposed to be out, then why are you?"

"Oh..." He said, the smile fading from his face. "My owner was quite old. When he died, my two brothers and I left home to avoid being taken by the cat-catcher." He looked upset, so I leaned in and affectionately nuzzled against his chest. A deep purr emitted from his throat, breaking the awkward silence. When I moved away and gazed into his saddened eyes, he seemed slightly cheered. I risked asking,

"So, what happened? Did you find a new home?"

"We wandered around the streets for a few days, but then we happened upon a tribe of stray Jellicle cats at the junkyard. I became one of them." He brightened, and said, "I was just appointed as the tribe protector." He swelled his chest importantly. "That means that it is my job to protect my tribe, and make sure that none of them come to harm."

"What of your brothers?" I asked. "Did they join your Jellicle tribe too?" The tom shook his head.

"Only one did. My youngest brother, the Rum Tum Tugger. We just call him Tugger, though. My other younger brother, Macavity, was rejected from the tribe, after he was caught attempting to do, well, unpleasant things, to one of the queens. Tugger and I, however, were accepted into the tribe, and adopted by the elder cat of the tribe, Old Deuteronomy. It's been a pretty quiet life since then, although Macavity comes back occasionally, trying to terrorize the tribe. I protect them and make sure he cannot cause any harm." He paused in his story, glancing down at me sitting next to him, wide eyed, mouth agape. He smiled at the expression on my face before continuing, "The Jellicle tribe always has room for more. If you have no place to go, then I'm sure that Old Deuteronomy would be more then happy to welcome you into our tribe." I stared at him, hardly daring to believe what I had just heard. Me, come live in the same tribe as this excruciatingly handsome tom? This had to be the luckiest thing that had ever happened to me.

"I...I don't know what to say..." I stuttered, in shock from my sudden spurt of good luck.

"'Yes' would be a good answer." He smiled a hint of amusement in his voice. All I could do was nod in reply. "Well, if you want to join my tribe, you'd better come with me so you can meet the leader as well as the other Jellicles." He paused. "Pardon me for not asking sooner, but I haven't learned your name." He looked at me intently. My face burned with embarrassment. How could I have forgotten to do such a basic thing? I squirmed under his gaze and muttered quietly,

"My name is Calypso." I said it so quietly, that I am surprised he heard it at all, even with his superb feline hearing. Nonetheless, he inclined his head politely and said,

"I'm pleased to meet you, Calypso. I believe you will mesh very well with my tribe. Come, I'll show you the way to the junkyard." He turned to leave, but I remained where I was. I was feeling self-conscious again, all too aware of my dismal appearance. I would have stayed sitting there all night, had I not remembered something.

"Wait! You have my name, but I do not have yours!" Now the tom turned to look at me, rather embarrassed. He blushed furiously, before looking away.

"Of course, how rude of me, to forget to introduce myself. My name is Munkustrap." He turned away again, and continued his way down the street. I sat where I was, still in shock from meeting such a lusciously handsome tom. Munkustrap. Even his name was sexy. I was dragged from my thought by a call from Munkustrap. He was already surprisingly far down the road, he walked so fast.

"Well, are you coming, or would you rather sit there all night, Calypso?" He shouted, glancing just barely over his muscular shoulder, as he continued to walk down the road. I did not reply, but rather hastened to catch up with him. I did not know where he was taking me, but I was sure that wherever it was, it would be good, as long as he was there too.


	3. The Introduction

**Hooray! Chapter 3! Okay, so this one is a bit long winded, but I had a hard time finding a good place to end it off. So now, we finally meet the Rum Tum Tugger! :) I would have introduced all of the cats, but it would have taken me ages to do it properly, so I just did a few.**

**A big thanks to SeireiteiBadAss, who gave me my first-ever review! (does happy dance) More reviews would be appreciated. I was kind of hurried when I wrote this, so let me know what you think.**

**Chapter 3- The Introduction**

I followed Munkustrap down the road, staying a few steps behind him. I was excited to see this junkyard, and meet the rest of Munkustraps' tribe. My mind buzzed with a million unanswered questions, but I willed myself to stay silent. Munkustrap may have been very kind, and irresistibly handsome, but I had the feeling that even a patient cat like Munkustrap would eventually get irritated by constant enquiries. We walked for what seemed like hours. We twisted and turned through an interconnected labyrinth of snakelike alleyways and streets. I was sure that even if I had wanted to go back home, I wouldn't have been able to find my way back. Not that I really wanted to go back. Munkustrap was like a magnet, and I couldn't help but trail after him, no matter where he was taking me.

The sky was beginning to lighten as the moon descended out of sight. The sunrise was magnificent; the sun, just barely peeking over the horizon, was rimmed with crimson and magenta, the center blinding silver. Stars still dotted the indigo sky, which was rapidly changing shades of blue, getting lighter and lighter. The wispy clouds, like stucco on the roof of the Heaviside layer, were highlighted with soft peach and rose. Yes, the sunrise was indeed a rare and beautiful thing, but not so beautiful as the black and silver tom that strolled ahead of me. Munkustrap was not moving so quickly anymore. I noted that there were few houses around us now. There were mostly empty, decrepit lots, which looked like miniature junkyards unto themselves. Munkustrap came to a stop at the base of a huge fence, topped with barbed wire. He turned to face me, as he said,

"This...is the Jellicle junkyard." There was a hint of pride in his voice.

"Erm...how are we supposed to get in? I don't know about you, but I'm not a terribly proficient climber, and that barbed wire does look sharp," I looked at Munkustrap, rather concerned at the thought of climbing over that barbed wire. Munkustrap simply laughed and led me to a pipe, covered partially by an iron grate. The gap in the grate was about a foot wide, and gave plenty of room for Munkustrap and I to squeeze through. The pipe was long, dark and dripping. I toyed with the notion of telling Munkustrap that I was afraid of the dark, just so that I would have a good reason to nuzzle up against him as we walked, but I eventually thought better of it. After several minutes of walking in silence, we approached the end of the long tunnel, and my insides writhed excitedly. I couldn't wait to become a part of this tribe of Jellicles. We stepped out of the pipe, Munkustrap first, then myself. I blinked as I stepped into the light. As my vision adjusted, several cats came into view. Suddenly, I felt very apprehensive. I expressed this emotion to Munkustrap, who nuzzled me assuringly as he pushed me a little bit forward. I stood there silently, unsure of what to do next, until Munkustrap leaned over and hissed in my ear,

"Well, go on, introduce yourself!" I took a nervous step forward and managed to squeak,

"Um, uh, hi. Um, I'm, uh...Calypso." I took a deep breath, and tried again. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Calypso, and I would like to join your tribe." I managed to voice my second sentence in a rather confident way. After all, if I acted confident, then maybe they would think that I was. At this point, Munkustrap stepped forward, and much to my relief, took over for me.

"I found this young queen on the curb, locked out of her home. She needs a place to stay, and I believe that the Jellicle tribe would be the ideal place for her." He looked expectantly at the rest of the tribe. They remained silent. I felt myself shrinking up next to Munkustrap, who gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder, before throwing a very meaningful glare at one of the toms in the group. The tom cleared his throat, and came forward, with a bit of swagger to his step.

"Hey, there. I'm THE Rum Tum Tugger. I'm Munkustrap's little bro." I managed a small smile in return. This cat was nice enough, but I wasn't quite sure of him yet. He was a Maine Coon, with a fluffy mane and tail. Like Munkustrap, he was devastatingly handsome, but in a much different way. While Munkustrap's looks were more subtle and refined, the Rum Tum Tugger simply oozed his animal magnetism out of every pore. I wasn't so sure that I liked that very much. The cluster of young queens sitting at his feet was lapping up his very presence. While I stared at him blankly, Munkustrap leaned over from behind me and whispered,

"Just call him Tugger. Everyone does." I twitched at the sudden, unexpected noise. The next cat to come forward was an older queen. She was a yellow tabby, and there was something reassuring in her gentle gaze. She introduced herself as Jellylorum. Jellylorum was followed by a brown tabby queen called Jennyanydots, who seemed just as kind and caring. Next to come forward was a rather timid looking black and white tuxedo cat, whose name, he informed me, was Mr. Mistoffelees, although I was welcome to call him Misto, if I wished. A black and white cat, by the name of Alonzo introduced himself next, and attempted to introduce the seven kittens, four of which were gathered at Tugger's feet, and looking very happy about it. The kittens didn't even bother looking up as he rattled off a list of their names. When Alonzo had finished, Munkustrap turned to me and said,

'There are more, but most come and go as they please. A few have human families to go home to at night. I'll introduce the rest later." With that Munkustrap and the other adults left to discuss something, and I was left alone with the other kittens. The young queens seemed a bit sad at the exit of their idol, but the toms simply sat there staring at me. One tom in particular had fixed me in an intent gaze which made me squirm. After several minutes of silence, he spoke up.

"Hey, guys?" His voice sounded familiar.

"What, Tumblebrutus?" Asked the white queen, Victoria. She sounded annoyed, seeing as Tumblebrutus had interrupted the conversation she was having with Etcetera, with whom she was discussing how best to win Tugger's affections.

"This is her. That nasty queen I told you about."

"Which queen, Tumble?" asked Plato, yawning.

"That one who tried to steal my food yesterday on the street." He said with a nasty smirk. Suddenly, it hit me. That was why Tumblebrutus seemed so familiar. He was the cat with whom I had gotten into a fight with. Only, he had been the one to steal food from me. I supposed he had told his friends a lie about me starting the fight, so as to have a noble reason for returning home covered in bite and scratch marks. I hissed at him, and my eyes narrowed. I didn't like this tom. Not a single bit.

**Now, what you really want to do is click on that little button and write me a review! :)**


	4. Laissez Faire

**Ooh! Things are starting to get good! This chapter is very exciting, in my opinion.**

**Another thanks to SeireiteiBadAss for reviewing!**

**Chapter 4- Laissez Faire**

I hadn't even yet been inducted into this Jellicle tribe, and already I was having problems. Tumblebrutus and I circled each other, hissing. I wasn't in the mood to get into another fight with this cat. I was already a mess from the first fight. As we circled each other, Tumblebrutus jeered at me.

"You don't even know how to properly fight. You're pathetic. I don't know why Munkus even bothered bringing a wimp like you home anyways. You'll just bring the pride of our tribe down. You'd better go while you can." These comments continued on for several minutes. Obviously, Tumblebrutus had said some pretty nasty stuff about me, for a few of the other kittens began to join in too.

"Your family doesn't even want you...that's why they locked you out..."

"You look like a pollicle, all dirty and disgusting...bet you're about as smart as one too..."

"You're a loooooooser..."

"Nobody wants you...go away..."

I tolerated these comments easily. But my patience snapped when Tumblebrutus taunted,

"And your eyes...they're freakish. No _real_ cat has eyes like that!" That was it. I had had enough. Tumblebrutus could call me what he liked, but I would not allow him to make fun of my eyes. I loved my eyes. The left one was a deep, rich hazel, while the right was a foggy greenish-blue. They were unusual, true, but they were mine, and I liked them. I pounced on Tumblebrutus before he had even finished his sentence. I heard Jemima scream,

"Munkustrap! Alonzo! Tugger! Anybody! Come quick!"

The adults came bursting out of the pile of junk where they had been having a conversation. They stopped and stared at the sight of me and Tumblebrutus rolling around on the ground, hissing, biting and scratching. Munkustrap came towards us, with the intent of breaking up the fight, but Tugger pulled him back.

"Just let 'em fight it out. They'll stop sooner or later." And so, they all remained on the sidelines, the older cats aghast at what they were seeing, the kittens cheering on Tumblebrutus. I wished somebody would help me, but I was on my own. I aimed a scratch at Tumblebrutus, but he dodged me, and attempted to bite my tail. I lashed my tail away at the last second, whacking him in the face as I did so. He was momentarily surprised, and I seized the opportunity to place a well aimed scratch on his nose. He howled in pain as blood dripped from his shallow wound, and retaliated by head butting me in the gut so hard that I lost my breath. He dove on top of me, trying to scratch out my eyes. I kneed him in the stomach, and shoved him off of me. I made for the nearest pile of junk, trying to climb out of his reach, but he seized my tail and dragged me down again. He bit me very hard on the ear, and I felt warm blood dripping down my face. I suppressed a cry of agony, turned around and jumped on top of him, raking my sharp claws up and down his sides. I had trouble getting through his thick fur, and only lightly scratched him. It hurt him nonetheless. He hissed, turned around, and with one powerful strike of his claws, had ripped open my belly. I yowled in anguish, and struggled to get away from him. I felt my strength ebbing, my vision began to blur. I needed to get away...get somewhere safe...I clawed my way to the top of a junk pile, Tumblebrutus not too far behind me. Our battle continued at the top. Tumblebrutus could sense I was beginning to weaken, for he began to force me towards the edge of the pile, slashing at me and hissing. I knew exactly what he was trying to do. He was trying to make me fall. We were quite high up, and I would be seriously injured if I fell. I tried to get around him, but he bit my injured ear again, and continued to force me to retreat. I was almost cornered now. I needed this to stop. Somewhere below me I heard Munkustrap shouting.

"Okay, guys, break it up! That's enough! BREAK IT UP!" He absolutely roared the last part. I heard Munkustrap dashing up the junk pile to where Tumblebrutus was slowly pushing off the edge. I was hanging on only by one paw now, and Tumblebrutus was slowly plucking my fingers off the edge, one by one. Munkustrap came up behind Tumblebrutus and dragged him off of me. Munkustrap then turned to heave me back onto the ledge, but a moment too late. I was already plummeting towards the bottom. I heard Munkustrap shouting to Tugger and Alonzo to catch me. The last thing I remember was my head contacting the hard ground, before everything went black.


	5. The Discussion

**Hooray! Another chapter, in my oh-so-exciting story!**

**Before I continue, I feel I must credit TasteXxXtheXxXRainbowXxX for alerting me to the fact that O inadvertantly morphed my character into a Mary-Sue in the previous chapter. To rectify this error, I will now provide you with a description of Calypso, to try and balance this out.**

**Calypso is a small-ish tabby cat, mostly black and dark brown. She has a white bib, and a bit of white on her face. Her front right paw is white. She is shorthaired, with a medium long tail. Her eyes are two different colours. Not very obviously, but enough to make you look twice. Her left is hazel, her right is green with a hint of blue.**

**Aside from the eyes, Calypso is a very averag cat. I hope this makes her seem less Mary-Sueish.**

**Now! Onto the story!**

**Chapter 5- The Discussion**

I awoke, my head throbbing. I felt as though my skull had been split in two with a pickaxe. I heard voices around me, having a heated discussion. I wished they wouldn't. The sound of their voices was agony to my pounding head. The adults didn't notice that I had awoken, which gave me the opportunity to listen in on their conversation, without any of them noticing.

"There is no way she can stay, Munkus. There is just no way. Did you see the manic look in her eyes? The way she was clawing at Tumble! I'm surprised Tumble wasn't badly injured, to be quite honest." I identified the voice as belonging to Alonzo.

"She has nowhere else to go, and I can't just throw her out on the street in this condition. She's not a piece of meat, but she'd soon end up as dinner for the pollicles if we just threw her out!" Munkustrap sounded angry.

"You know what Old Deuteronomy would say about this. We just can't accept troublemakers into this tribe! Remember your brother, Macavity?"

"We don't have to bring Macavity into this. Anyways, Tumblebrutus is partially responsible for the fight. Right, Jenny?"

"Yes, that's correct. I spoke with Jemima, and she said that Tumblebrutus was taunting Calypso something fierce. Made fun of her eyes, too..." It sounded as though Jennyanydots and Munkustrap were both on my side. Well, this couldn't be too bad...

"Well, that is still no reason to attack poor Tumble! Anyways, her eyes are very strange..."

"Alonzo!" scolded someone, probably Jellylorum. "Just because she is a bit different does not mean you can make fun of her. Honestly, you are just as bad as the kittens! Remember when you were a kitten, and you fell into a bucket of pink paint? You were pink for weeks and all the other kittens teased you about it!"

"Please don't remind me. I still bear mental scars from that event." Alonzo mumbled. "Anyways, that's not the point. She started..."

"She didn't start anything!" Interrupted Tugger. "Tumble started it. I just had a chat with him. He was in a bad mood from getting scolded yesterday for coming home covered in bites and scratches. Turns out he started a fight with Calypso the other day on the street, and now was his chance to get revenge. In my opinion, they are equally at fault. Besides, they're just kittens. Give Calypso a chance."

"I'm afraid I have to agree." said a voice I had never heard before. It belonged to a male with a Scottish accent.

"Oh, Skimble! When did you get here?" asked Jennyanydots.

"Oh, I've been here for about ten minutes. Tugger is right. She's just a kit. All kittens fight, even the good ones like Tumblebrutus. I'm sure they were just in a foul mood."

"She...she can't stay! She can't!" Alonzo positively howled.

"Shhhhh!" hissed Jellylorum. "You'll wake her."

"Okay, let's be reasonable. Why don't we wait for Old Deuteronomy to arrive tomorrow? Then we can ask him what he thinks." suggested Mistoffelees.

"And where will she stay in the meantime? What if she gets into another fight? I admit that I think she is a very sweet kitten, but I couldn't bear it if she got into another fight and hurt one of the others." Said Jennyanydots.

"Hmm...Jenny does have a point..." said Skimble thoughtfully.

"Honestly, I think Tumble did more damage to Calypso than she did to him." muttered Tugger darkly.

"Oh, Tug, you just don't like Tumble because he chewed on your mane when you were sleeping." chuckled Skimble.

"My mane is a very important piece of me!" sniffed Tugger, angrily.

"Just let it go, already." sighed Munkustrap wearily. "He was just a newborn when it happened, and he didn't mean it." Tugger scoffed, but said nothing.

"Perhaps Calypso could stay with one of us?" suggested Mistoffelees. "That way someone could keep an eye on her, and make sure she stays out of trouble."

"That's reasonable." Said Munkustrap. "I'll take her, then, and make sure she stays out of trouble. Tomorrow, we'll present our cases to Old Deuteronomy, and he can make the executive decision on whether she stays or goes. Is that fair?" There was a general mumbling of approval. Just before I fell asleep again, I heard Alonzo mutter,

"I still think she's a troublemaker."

**Oh! I forgot to mention: I don't own Cats. I wish I did, but I don't. Maybe one day...**

**Now, press that little button at the bottom and write me a review. Cookies to whoever writes me the most useful feedback for improving my writing! :)**


	6. A Foiled Attempt

**Ooh! My longest chapter yet! This is getting really good! :) Anyways, I kind of had a rant here, but it was a bit fun to write, so...yeah. I'll try not to make such long-winded discussions in the future. Two in a row is too much. Sorry!**

**Chapter 6- A Foiled Attempt**

I awoke some hours later. I blinked a few times, looking around blearily. These surroundings were unfamiliar.

"Where am I?" I mumbled to myself a few times. I seemed to be in the den of another cat. Whose den, though, I could not say. Perhaps it was Munkustraps'; he had mentioned that I would stay with him during his conversation with the others, but I really had no idea if that was where I was now. I was lying on a pile of blankets, and my injuries had all been bandaged up, no doubt by Jennyanydots. My fur also seemed to be clean. I tried to raise myself to my feet, but just collapsed down again. I was too weary and aching to move. I lay there pathetically, wondering what to do. I very much doubted that I would be allowed to join the Jellicle tribe after what I had done. I wanted to leave, but my weak body would not allow it. I looked up as Munkustrap entered. He looked at me tenderly, and all thoughts of wanting to leave faded from my mind.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked softly, his hazel eyes full of concern for me.

"I've been better." I groaned. My entire body was throbbing.

"You fell a long ways down." He sighed. "If only you had remembered to fall on your feet, instead of your head." I managed a weak smile.

"Where am I?" I asked, trying to sit up, and look around some more. Munkustrap gently pushed me back down and said,

"Relax. You're in my den. The others decided that you ought to stay with me, so that I could ensure that you wouldn't get into any more fights." His voice suddenly became stern. "Why were you fighting with Tumble anyways? Never mind, actually. The reason isn't important. The point is that fighting is no way to make a good first impression. None of us are pleased with you. I had a hard time convincing some of the other cats that your behaviour would improve, and that you were fit to be a member of our tribe." My face burned with shame. I couldn't bring myself to look in his eyes. When I didn't say anything, he continued, "I am really very disappointed in you. When I asked you to join this tribe, I had expected that you would behave yourself. I certainly did not think that you would have the audacity to start a fight when you had been here not even five minutes. I expect that you will make a full apology to Tumblebrutus, and he has been asked to do the same for you."

"But he started it..." I objected.

"I don't care who started it." He snapped. "Whether it was you, Tumble, or the Everlasting Cat himself. You _will_ apologise, and you _will_ behave yourself if you expect to be a part of this tribe. Have I made myself clear?" All I could do was whimper in reply. Munkustrap rose to his feet, and sighed. "I'll leave you to think over what you have done. Tomorrow, I expect a full and heartfelt apology, or I will have to ask you to leave this junkyard. Do you understand?" I nodded miserably. "Okay, then. Try to get some sleep. I'll be in later to check on you, but right now I have to patrol the junkyard." With that, he turned and left.

I managed to hold it in until he had left, but the moment that Munkustrap was out of earshot, I burst into tears. I had thought that Munkustrap was so kind and caring, but now he was mad at me. All of the other kittens hated me, and some of the adults wanted me gone too. And now, Munkustrap who had stood up for me, and demanded that I be allowed to stay, was angry with me. A few hours ago, I would have done anything to be inside Munkustraps' den, but now I would rather have been anywhere else in the world. I forced myself to my feet, wobbling a bit, and ignoring the protests of my aching body. I stumbled my way to the door, and cautiously peered out into the darkness. I didn't see anybody about. I stole out of Munkustraps' den, as quiet as could be, and began to sneak towards the edge of the junkyard. I was shamefaced, and I couldn't bear to be here anymore. I was nearly at the edge of the junkyard when I heard a snatch of quiet conversation. I paused, and then followed the source of the noise. It was Munkustrap and Mistoffelees. They were sitting in front a fire, deep in serious conversation. I wondered vaguely where they had gotten the fire from. My question was answered a moment later when I heard Mistoffelees say,

"Drat, the fire is starting to die again..." He raised a paw. Blue sparks shots from it, and rekindled the dying flames. I stared, astonished. Mr. Mistoffelees was a _conjuring cat_! The other day, when I was exploring London, I had heard two street cats talking about a magical conjuring cat living in a junkyard. I had never even dreamed that it would be in this junkyard, let alone be the shy Mr. Mistoffelees. I had thought that a conjuring cat would be outgoing.

"Well, it just goes to show," I thought to myself, "even cats can be wrong sometimes." I shrugged to myself, and turned my attention to their conversation.

"...really well spoken, you know. She was so polite, so nice, I had no idea she could be so aggressive!"

"Mmm...well, Munkus, I don't exactly believe that the behaviour displayed was aggression. I just think that she was being taunted by Tumble, and she was finally pushed to the brink, and she snapped. It happens to the best of us. No cat can control their emotions one hundred percent of the time. Every cat has their flaws, and perhaps one of her flaws is a short temper. She can work on it, I'm sure. I want to give her a chance, and I know you do too."

"I know, I know Misto, it's just, Tumble is Alonzo's son, and Alonzo doesn't want any cat that could hurt Tumble to be anywhere near this junkyard..."

"Has Alonzo ever heard of Macavity?" Asked Mistoffelees, laughing.

"Yes, I know, it's ridiculous. But Alonzo, kind and good natured as he may be, is convinced that Tumble can do no wrong. I suspect many parents have that blind spot in regards to their offspring. But of course, Alonzo will state his case to Old Deuteronomy, and who knows? He may very well win. Calypso could be exiled from the junkyard before she even becomes a Jellicle. Then where will she go? I wish she could hold in her temper a bit more. I've only just met her, but I sense that she has a fierce and short temper."

"I agree, Munkus. She's probably a bit stubborn too. I suspect you'll have a hard time squeezing an acceptable apology out of her tomorrow. But I stand by what I said before. With a bit of work, she may learn to live in this tribe. She just needs time." Munkustrap sighed.

"I feel that I was a bit harsh with her earlier, though."

"Perhaps she needs it. Don't fret. I'm sure she won't hold it against you." I chuckled to myself. Oh, was Mistoffelees wrong. I was quite angry with Munkustrap for yelling at me when I was recovering from some pretty serious injuries. A little sympathy would have been nice. But still, he did feel bad about it. I decided to forgive Munkustrap for his lack of empathy. It was just too hard to stay angry with such a handsome tom. I suddenly remembered that Munkustrap and Mistoffelees were still talking. I pulled myself out of my own thoughts, still keen to hear what they were saying.

"What on earth were they fighting about anyways?"

"Oh, I've managed to piece together pretty much the whole story. The other day, Calypso and Tumble got into a fight on the street over some food. Mungojerrie witnessed the entire thing. Calypso had the food first, but Tumble wanted it too. Anyways, long story short, he won the fight, although she did quite a number on him herself. He returned home covered in scratches and bite marks. Jenny was furious with him, and gave him a stern talking to. Tumble told his friends that Calypso had started the fight, and that it wasn't his fault, so as to make him look like the hero. You know how the young queens look up to him. And of course, you know Tumble, he's pretty good natured, but he can hold a grudge when he wants to. Anyways, when Calypso showed up here, he was afraid that she would spill the beans on who really started the fight, which would then make him lose the approval of his friends, so he tried to intimidate her into leaving. Well, things accelerated, and the other kits started throwing insults. Calypso snapped when he made fun of her eyes. And of course, you know the rest from there." There was a long silence.

"Well, now that we have the whole story, perhaps Old Deuteronomy will allow her to stay. Tumble and Calypso are equally at fault, and they are just being kittens. Sometimes, kittens do stupid things. I still don't know why I listened to Tugger and allowed them to fight for as long as I did. Tumble could have killed her. I don't think he meant to, but could very well have, by accident." Munkustrap sighed. "Well, I'd better go check on her. I have feeling that she may be trying to leave soon, if she has not tried already. As a precaution, I sealed off the tunnel. There is no way in or out tonight."

"Clever!" Laughed Mistoffelees as he rose to his feet. "Well, goodnight, Munkus!"

"'Night Misto." The magical fire went out, and the two toms went their separate ways. I tried to hurry back to Munkustraps' den, so that he would not see how foolish I had been in trying to run away. I made it back just a few minutes before Munkustrap did. As he quietly entered the den, I feigned sleep. I guess he bought it, for he quietly curled up beside me, and went to sleep himself. I felt a bit happier then. I was in the den of the most handsome tom, and sleeping next to him. Things couldn't get much better then this.

**HA! Bet you thought I was going to forget to ask you to review! But I didn't! Mr. Mistoffelees AKA Cyllene NEVER forgets!! (Enspirit knows what I mean...) Mwahahahaaaaaa **

**Soooo...REVIEW! (Please)**


	7. Preparation

**Just in quick response to TasteXxXtheXxXRainbowXxX, I am a conjuring cat. I can conjure new chapters out of thin air, which is why they are posted so fast. Nah, I'm just kidding, but I don't have this pre-written or anything. It just appears in my head and I write it down and post it. I also have a lot of spare time to kill, and I often neglect to do my homework because I just want to write. :)**

**Cookies go to TasteXxXtheXxXRainbowXxX for the best review! OOO (Those are cookies, by the way!)**

**More cookies to whoever else reviews! It's very late, and I'm tired, so I want to honestly know if this chapter is crap. If it is, I will gladly re-write one with less suckage. But I just had to live up to my update-once-a-day reputation... **

**This chapter was needed to get from point A to point B. There was no other way, really. I know it's not my best work, but it does serve its purposes.**

**Chapter 7- Preparation**

I awoke several times in the night, from nightmares, and from various pains in my injured body. Each time it happened, Munkustrap would nuzzle me reassuringly, until I fell back asleep. I was so happy to be here, with Munkustrap, and I didn't want to leave. With every new awakening, I felt more and more apprehensive about the upcoming 'trial' with Old Deuteronomy. He would be deciding my fate, and I couldn't help but worry. Full of dread, I drifted in and out of sleep all night long. When I awoke in the morning, I found that Munkustrap was gone. I supposed that my fate would be decided soon. Remembering the conversation between Munkustrap and Mistoffelees, I was determined to make a convincing apology to Tumblebrutus, and to promise not to fight anymore. I wanted them to see that I was a nice, polite, mature queen that didn't need to constantly be watched.

I struggled to my feet, and tottered out the door. My muscles screamed in protest, but I forced my way down through the junkyard anyways. I wasn't really looking where I was going, and was therefore very surprised when I walked head-on into a ginger tom.

"Oh, good mornin' there, lassie. I'm Skimbleshanks. You don't know me yet, of course." I smiled. Skimbleshanks seemed very friendly. I had decided this last night, when I was 'unconscious', but Skimbleshanks didn't need to know that. I pretended that I had never heard of him before.

"It's nice to meet you, Skimbleshanks. I'm Calypso." I said in my most polite voice. I wanted to prove that I deserved to be a member of this Jellicle tribe.

"Please, call me Skimble." He smiled thoughtfully, as he scratched his head. "You gave us a right scare last night, Calypso. Tugger thought you were a goner. You fell pretty far, and you knocked your head pretty good. I don't know if Munkustrap's told you, but you're going to have to apologise to Tumble for fighting with him." Skimble paused. He seemed at a loss to explain what he wanted to say next. "You...you're also going to have to report to Old Deuteronomy. If you present yourself well, you may have a very good chance of staying in this tribe." He grinned mischievously. "Of course, pretending to show remorse for what you did could also help."

"But I am sorry!" I protested.

"And I'm a Pollicle!" He laughed at his own joke. "Of course you're not sorry, and I don't expect you to be. No kitten ever is. That's what makes them kittens. I think you're sorrier at the thought of not being able to join the Jellicle tribe. Am I right?" I shrugged.

"Well...maybe a bit..." Skimble laughed, and patted me on the shoulder.

"Of course you are! Run along now. I expect Munkus will want a word with you before Old Deuteronomy arrives." He shooed me away. Just before I left, I turned to Skimble and asked,

"Um, Skimble?"

"Yes, lassie?"

"Erm, do you think I have a place in this tribe?" I shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.

"Of course I do! Any cat's a Jellicle cat, and Jellicle cats live here!" He grinned. "Well, that's a poetic way to phrase it," he reflected, "But it's true. Now, get out of here. Go meet some of the other cats. Some more of 'em came in from the city this morning. I expect you'd like to meet them."

After speaking with Skimble, I felt a bit better about my upcoming 'trial'. I tried not to think of it as such, but I couldn't help it. In essence, that was what it really was. I wandered down to the main clearing of the junkyard. I spotted Munkustrap almost immediately, deep in conversation with Tugger and another tom I had never seen. He was black and white, and impossibly fat. He reminded me vaguely of Mistoffelees. I made a mental note to ask Mistoffelees if the two of them were related.

Tugger saw me approaching and waved me over. "G'morning Calypso! Have pleasant dreams?" Munkustrap glared at Tugger and scowled. I wondered if Munkustrap had told Tugger about my restless night. I simply shrugged at Tugger. He seemed satisfied with that reply, for he pressed the matter no further. Munkustrap turned to me concernedly, and asked,

"Are you feeling better? How's your head feel?"

"Broken," I replied. The three toms laughed.

"Oh!" exclaimed Munkustrap, suddenly. "I forgot! This," He gestured to the fat cat, "Is Bustopher Jones." Bustopher Jones bowed graciously to me, and I blushed.

"G'morning, dear. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Bustopher seemed like such a proper English gentleman, that I thought it would be quite rude to inquire about his relations to Mistoffelees, but I simply couldn't resist.

"Are you and Mistoffelees related?" I blurted out. Bustopher chuckled indulgently.

"Oh, m'dear. So clever of you to notice the family resemblance! Yes, young Misto is my nephew. There's no finer conjuring cat anywhere!" He said proudly. He continued, "I raised him m'self, for part of his kittenhood, anyways, but you see his father..."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Bustopher," Munkustrap said, not sounding very sorry at all, but rather irritated. "I need to discuss some things with Calypso before Old Deuteronomy arrives."

"But of course, good chap! Just say the word, and I'll leave you to your business." Bustopher bowed politely to me once more, before trotting off towards Jellylorum. Munkustrap watched him leave, before turning to me.

"I'm sorry to have cut you two off like that, but he does rant if you let him. Anyways, I need to prepare you for when Old Deuteronomy comes. You must be incredibly polite and remember your manners. Do try to make a good first impression. After all of the cats have greeted him, and settled in, you must come forward and properly introduce yourself. I will tell Old Deuteronomy the circumstances in which I found you. I will give him my reasons for why you should be allowed to stay. You will then make your public apology to Tumble..."

"What!?" I shrieked. "In front of all these cats?" I gestured around the crowded courtyard. There were many cats I had never even met before, and the ones I had met, I barely knew.

"Yes, in front of everybody. It's no less than you deserve, anyhow. Just put on a brave face, give Tumble the most sincere apology you can muster, and everything will work out fine. Tumble will apologise to you, and then Old Deuteronomy will make the decision on whether you stay or go." I must have looked alarmed, for he nuzzled me comfortingly and said, "Relax. I'm sure he will let you stay. Kittens will be kittens, and I am sure that he will see this fight as kitten foolishness. But don't let that get to your head." He cautioned sternly. "You can't use that as an excuse. You are still responsible for your actions. You understand that, right?" I nodded. "Good. Now I think we should see about..." He trailed off, staring into the far corner of the junkyard. All of the other cats quieted down too, and stared at the corner. I turned to see what they were all staring at, and then I saw. Old Deuteronomy had arrived.

**Now...you want to write me a review...and then you will be rewarded with virtual cookies... OOO**


	8. The Decision

**Mwahaha...I leave you hanging...**

**I will be going away for a few days, so there won't be any new chapter for a while. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I took Enspirits' advice and did my homework. It took me several days to finish this one. I'll try and draft some more chapters this weekend! :D**

**Chapter 8- The Decision**

I stared nervously at the cat approaching the glade where I stood. He was a tom, quite large, and immensely old. His fur was grey and shabby, and he walked slowly and carefully. He looked so worn-out and run down, yet he smiled benevolently at the cats in the clearing. The kittens were the first to rush up to him, nuzzling him affectionately, and purring loudly. Next to greet Old Deuteronomy were some of the adult cats. They came with a sense of dignity, and didn't crawl excitedly all over the patriarch as he moved through the crowd. Instead, the cats came in small clusters to nuzzle up to Old Deuteronomy, before backing away to make room for the others. Munkustrap, Tugger, Jellylorum and Alonzo all went up together to greet the elderly tribe leader. Skimbleshanks came up next, along with Jennyanydots, and two female cats I didn't know. One was an Abyssinian, and the other was a Siamese. They were both rather dark. I wondered if they were sisters. Next came a whole group of cats, none of whom I knew. There was a set of twins, one a tom, the other a queen. They were tabbies, dark, and lean, and strangely mysterious. There was a very old cat, whose paws were shaking. He hobbled as he walked. There was a younger cat, who looked very similar to him holding him up as he walked. There were also two cats, whom I assumed were brother and sister. They were orange, black and white tabbies, who looked almost identical.

One by one, the cats greeted Old Deuteronomy. Then they parted so he could come sit on the old tyre in the middle of the junkyard clearing. After he had seated himself, Munkustrap came up to Old Deuteronomy and whispered something in his ear. Old Deuteronomy nodded, and Munkustrap beckoned me forwards. I walked slowly, partially because my body burned with every step, but also because I was dreading this. As I approached him, Old Deuteronomy smiled kindly at me. When I came to a halt in front of him, he asked me,

"What is your name?" His voice was surprisingly soft. I had expected it to be rougher, more worn. I was shaking as I responded very quietly,

"Calypso." I caught Munkustrap's eye as he gave me a reassuring look. There was a drawn-out silence, before Munkustrap interjected.

"Shortly after she arrived, Calypso got into a bit of a fight with Tumblebrutus. Tumble started it, but they are equally at fault. However," He cast a glance at Alonzo as he spoke, "Alonzo is of the opinion that Calypso should not be authorized to join this tribe. I will vouch for Calypso in saying that she was much provoked into that fight. She is truly sorry, and would like a second chance. Is that correct, Calypso?" I nodded vigorously. Munkustrap looked satisfied as he turned back to Old Deuteronomy and said, "I now believe that Alonzo has a few words that he would like to say." Alonzo cleared his throat and stepped forwards.

"Calypso could very well have seriously injured Tumble. I think that she is a very disturbed kitten, and that she should leave." Alonzo was about to continue, but Tugger interrupted.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt," he said, not sounding sorry at all, "But Tumble did serious injury to poor Calypso, and not the other way around. I doubt that Calypso would ever be able to seriously injure Tumble. I think that a mere scratch on the nose hardly qualifies as an injury." He added, glaring at Alonzo. Alonzo looked a bit hurt at the harsh look on Tugger's face, and mumbled something about 'prone to infection' before falling silent. Old Deuteronomy looked around the group of cats, and then directly at me.

"Calypso, do you want to comment on anything?" he asked softly. I shook my head no. Munkustrap nudged me. When I didn't pick up the hint, he turned to me and said,

"Isn't there anything you would like to say to Tumble?" I suddenly realised what he was getting at. I took a few deep breaths, before turning to Tumblebrutus and saying, as remorsefully as I could muster,

"I'm sorry about getting into a fight with you. I hope that you accept my apology, and that we can be friends." I looked hopefully at him. He glared back at me with a look so cold that I was sure that if he had tried to change his expression, his face would shatter. After several long, tense minutes, his face softened, and he said,

"I accept your apology, and I'm sorry too. I hope you didn't get too hurt when you fell off the ledge."

"You mean got shoved off the ledge." Muttered Tugger nastily under his breath, so that only I could hear. I ignored Tugger.

"So…friends?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess….friends." said Tumble. I secretly felt as though he didn't really want to be friends with me, but the nicer I acted the better chance I would have of joining the tribe. I looked at Old Deuteronomy's expression, hoping it that would betray my fate to me. But his expression was the same calm one he had been wearing all through my 'trial'. It didn't feel like a trial so much now. It now felt as though I was simply being scolded for bad behaviour. Old Deuteronomy sighed and stood up.

"I need a moment to speak with Munkustrap and Alonzo privately. Munkus, Alonzo, if you please." He gestured towards a far corner of the junkyard. The three of them set off to continue the conversation privately. As soon as they were out of earshot, the kittens pounced on me.

"I'm sorry I called you a Pollicle…"

"You fight so good…"

"Let's be friends…"

"I told Tumble that I won't talk to him anymore, because he told a lie about you. But I'll probably forget, and talk to him anyways…"

I backed away from the group of kittens shyly, and turned to Tumble.

"Tumble, do you really forgive me?" I asked. He nodded, a bit reluctantly.

"Yeah, I forgive you. You're pretty nice. And you fight real good, too. But can you do me a favour and don't tell the others that I was picking a fight on the street the other day. Victoria swore never to talk to me again, and Plato says that it's wrong to hit a queen, and Etcetera said I was as honourable as Pollicle dung. I feel so bad. I promise that I won't pick fights anymore if you do this one little thing for me." He seemed to be almost begging. I wasn't sure how to respond. He had been pretty nasty to me, but he had apologised, and he seemed nice enough now that he wasn't hissing at me, and trying to claw out my eyes. I pondered for a while, and then decided to give him a second chance.

"Okay, I won't tell."

"Oh! Thanks!" a goofy grin broke across his face. He nuzzled against me, a bit roughly. I didn't take it personally. Toms will be toms, after all. I began chatting with the other kittens, getting to know them a bit better. They were all very nice. I was laughing at something funny Electra had just told me, when Plato nudged me and said,

"Ooh, look! They're back!" I suddenly felt very nervous. Munkustrap and Alonzo looked rather grave. What if I was rejected? What would happen then? I shoved the unfriendly thought out of my head as Old Deuteronomy spoke.

"I have heard both sides of the story, and they are both very different. But I have thought about this, and I have decided whether or not Calypso will stay."

**Hee hee! Now you have to wait several days before you find out what happens. **

**(But it's not like you can't guess anyways...Or can you? Perhaps I will surprise you...)**


	9. A Temporary Solution

**Aww...did you really think I'd kick her out? Shame on you! But you didn't actually think I'd let her stay with _no _consequences whatsoever, did you? Even more shame on you! Hehe...I am the master of trickyness...I think...**

**Sorry I made you guys wait so long. I just can't update every day now. School is just getting too demanding.**

**Even though I can't update daily, I am still a conjuring cat. I just can't conjure very fast! ^_^**

**Chapter 9- A Temporary Solution**

The junkyard fell silent as Old Deuteronomy said his decision out loud. I stared at him, open mouthed. I couldn't believe it. I simply could not believe what I had just heard. Murmurs spread through the junkyard, but nobody really said anything of substance. I was in total shock. I remained rooted on the spot as the other cats departed. A few gave me kind pats on the shoulder, as they passed. Old Deuteronomy swept past me without a glance. Munkustrap lingered behind as the rest of the group left. After they had all gone, he put a paw on my shoulder and turned me around to face him.

"I need to speak to you about the logistics of this." He said softly. I nodded silently. I was still registering what Old Deuteronomy had announced. "Calypso, do you know the meaning of the word 'probation'?" I nodded my head.

"I guess I'll be leaving now, then..."

"What do you mean, Calypso?" asked Munkustrap, genuinely surprised.

"Well, if Old Deuteronomy wanted me to be in the tribe, he'd have let me join straight away. But, he didn't, so I guess I'll go."

"Oh, no Calypso, you have it all wrong. Old Deuteronomy wanted to induct you right away, but Alonzo insisted you be given a probationary period. You will have to be within sight of a full grown Jellicle tom at all times, most of all when you are around the other kittens. It's the only way to put his mind at ease. And it'll only be for one week. Don't worry. Nobody else thinks that you are dangerous. Alonzo just needs to stop being so over-protective of his son. He'll come around, you'll see."

"But...but if Old Deuteronomy wanted me in the tribe so much, why didn't he talk to me? And why didn't the others say anything? And why..." Munkustrap cut me off.

"Old Deuteronomy didn't say anything to you, because he wants to speak with you privately later. I know he seemed cold, but he's just like that when he's deeply thinking. Don't be offended by it; it wasn't anything personal."

"Er...what exactly does he want to talk to me about, anyways?" I asked nervously.

"He just wants to know if you will be planning to stay in the Jellicle tribe forever, or if you plan to live partially with your family and partially with the tribe, or if you will be going back to your family in a short period of time."

"Oh!" I said, relieved. "I think I'd like to stay here for as long as I can. I don't think my family would ever let me out again if I went back home. I like this freedom. It's nice!" I grinned. Munkustrap grinned back, before continuing,

"As for the rest of the cats, they didn't speak with you, because they are still taking in the news themselves. Some will be happy, some sad, some angry, even. And all of these emotions will be for entirely different reasons. They'll come and greet you individually later. Would you like to learn some of their names ahead of time? It all gets pretty complicated if you don't already know about it." I nodded.

"Yeah, I'd like to hear about them!" I was eager to learn all about my fellow Jellicles.

"Well, let's see then. The Siamese queen is called Cassandra. Well, she's partly Abyssinian, but it's not too important. Her sister is all Abyssinian, and her name is Exotica. They have different fathers, see. Next, we have the twins, you know, the mysterious tabbies? The tom is Coricopat, and the queen is Tantomile. The old cat who was shaking is Asparagus Sr., but we just call him Gus. The younger one who looks just like him is Asparagus Jr., his son. The two orange tabbies are Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, a tom and a queen, respectively. Erm...you've already met Mistoffelees and Tugger, Jelly, Jenny, Bustopher, Alonzo, the kits, Old Deuteronomy...who else? Oh yes, you've met Skimbleshanks. Well, I think that's everybody in the tribe. Is there anything else you want to know?" I shook my head no. "Okay, well is there anything you want to do? Anywhere you want to go? I need to keep an eye on you for the next week, so it's your call. Whatever you want to do, I'll have to go too." I just shrugged, and said,

"I think it's time for a nap." And with that, I turned and headed back to Munkustrap's den. As I settled down for my nap, I heard Munkustrap come and sit just outside the door of then den. "Wow," I thought to myself. "They're really taking this probation thing seriously!" And with that, I fell into a deep catnap.

**Review! Review! Review! Or face my wrath...the more reviews I get, the fewer bad things will happen to Calypso!**


	10. Attempted Murder

**Woohoo! We made it to Chapter 10! The longest chapter yet! ****I'm exceptionally cruel to poor Tugger in this chapter, but I couldn't resist. ****Sorry JJ, but I happen to enjoy tormenting your idol. **

**Thanks, Rainbow, for being my first ever glomper. I'm just so proud... :) Cookies for you! OOO**

**In this chapter I hint about future events still yet to come. Cookies to whomever can guess what Calypso's suspicion about Mistoffelees is! Also, random contest: Who can pick out the best theme song for my idol, Munkustrap? Cookies to the winner! (I like cookies!) :) **

**Chapter 10- Attempted Murder**

My next five days in the Jellicle junkyard passed in general boredom and silence. Perhaps I would have enjoyed talking to the other kittens, but when you have Alonzo glaring over your shoulder, watching your every move, it's hard to have a good time. In fact, whenever I was less than ten feet away from the other kittens, he would be lurking around, trying to catch me doing something I wasn't supposed to. Perhaps his mistrust in me was why Alonzo didn't have a shift supervising me. Because I had nothing better to do, I spent a good deal of time taking catnaps. Not that that was unusual behaviour for me. Being a cat, I slept most of the time anyways. I stayed in Munkustrap's den whenever I was sleeping, and Munkustrap or another tom was always sitting just outside, to make sure I didn't sneak off to wreak havoc. Not that I would anyways.

The toms took it in shifts to watch me. At night time, Munkustrap watched me. First thing in the morning, usually before I had woken up, the shift would switch, and Tugger would keep an eye on me. That was never very fun, because he made me follow him around while he tried to pick up various queens. Sometimes, though, he would just doze in the sun, giving me the opportunity to explore the surrounding area, provided I didn't get caught by anybody else. Halfway through the morning, Mistoffelees would take over for Tugger. I enjoyed my time with Mistoffelees. He was very shy, but once you got to know him, he was a very interesting cat to converse with. Mistoffelees usually stuck to himself, in quiet contemplation away from all the other cats, so he had a very unique point of view of the junkyard. It wasn't that he was antisocial; he just didn't like big groups. At noon, the shift switched and I would be watched by Mungojerrie, who was usually accompanied by his sister Rumpleteazer. They spoke with thick cockney accents, and liked to be mischievous, but were otherwise very nice. They spent most of their shift with me trying to convince me that it would be fun to nick Tugger's belt while he was sleeping, and then taunt the queen-kits with it, Etcetera in particular. I didn't think so. Tugger would make every shift with him living hell if I tried that. Besides, I didn't think I'd be able to get it off his body without him noticing. Although, I had to admit, the thought of Tugger running around furiously and fruitlessly searching for his belt was highly amusing. But I knew I must resist. I didn't want to make an even worse impression of myself. In mid-afternoon, there was another shift change, and I was with Skimbleshanks. He spent his entire shift entertaining me and the other kittens with tales from his trips on the railroad. Some of the older cats would come and listen too, whenever Skimble began to tell another one of his excellent tales. As evening begun, Skimble would leave, and it would be up to Coricopat and his sister Tantomile to supervise me. These times were always very uncomfortable. The twins were nice enough, but they were kind of creepy at the same time. I suspected that they communicated with each other via telepathy, for they seldom spoke with one another, and whenever I was wondering something, they always told me the answer, even if I didn't ask out loud. It freaked me out. I was always glad when, later in the night, the shift would change, and it was Munkustrap again. I enjoyed my time with Munkustrap most of all. He was thoughtful, and kind, and mature, and he understood me like no other cat did. He was one of the few who really believed that I was really a good cat, and that I would never start fights intentionally. I liked Munkustrap, and I mean really liked. He had no mate, but I knew that I was too young for him. Still, I couldn't help but fanaticize, particularly on the windy nights, when Munkustrap would cuddle up next to me for warmth.

On my sixth day of probation, I awoke in the morning to find that it was not Munkustrap, but Tugger who watched over me, or rather, shirked his duty of watching over me. Tugger had dozed off, in the early warmth of the dawn, instead of keeping an eye on me like he should have been doing. I tapped him on the shoulder, and relished his girly scream when he suddenly awoke. He looked wildly around, before seeing me, and calming down a bit.

"Oh...Calypso..." He panted, "You gave me such a fright. What are you doing up this early?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you the same question. Where's Munkustrap? His shift isn't over yet."

"Oh," said Tugger, "Munkus? He's gone into the city. He'll be back tomorrow night." I slumped a little. As nice as Tugger was, I didn't want to spend four shifts with him. I thought the squeals of the queen-kits every time Tugger went near one of them, would drive me mad.

"Why did he go into the city?" I asked.

"He heard some nasty rumours about what our brother Macavity's been doing. They say he's got some street cats hostage. Munkustrap's gone to see if the rumours are true, and if they are, release the imprisoned cats." Tugger said in hushed tones, as if I wasn't supposed to know. I simply shrugged, and walked off, ignoring Tugger's protests, and futile attempts to follow me. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had tied him up while he slept, no doubt anticipating his reaction to be most amusing. He didn't notice he was tied up until I left, and I didn't bother to help him. This was my payback to him. Yesterday, he had spent an entire hour trying to tell me pickup lines for girls, before remembering that I wasa girl myself. I knew Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer would definitely approve of my leaving Tugger tied up. Sure enough, as I rounded a corner, I ran into the pair of them, sniggering uncontrollably.

"Oy, Calypso! Is 'e mad? Is 'e mad? I bet 'e's mad, isn't e?" asked Rumpleteazer excitedly. I nodded.

"Yep, he's pissed off. You'd better get away while you can. Once he gets loose, he'll skin you two alive..." I was cut off by a sudden howl of rage.

"JERRIE!!!!! TEAZER!!!!! WHERE ARE YOU!!!!! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE...ARRGGHHHHHH!!!!!" Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer jumped to their feet and ran off. Tugger came storming around the corner, looking furious.

"Which way did they go? I've had enough! This isn't funny!" I suddenly realised why Tugger was so angry. I hadn't noticed before, because of the way he had been sitting, but not only had Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer tied Tugger up, they had also trimmed his mane in some places, dyed it in others, and part of it was completely shaved off. I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing.

"Oh...my...everlasting cat..." I gasped between sobs of mirth, "I...can't believe...they...did...that...you look so...oh my...what'll the queen-kits think..." I was literally rolling on the ground laughing until I cried. My sides hurt from laughing so hard. When I had composed myself, I managed to point in the direction opposite of that which Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had gone.

"They went that way." I said, trying not to laugh again. Tugger set off furiously in the wrong direction in search of the notorious duo. I sat alone, still grinning broadly from the sight of Tugger's mangled mane, and the look of pure horror and fury on his face. It was the best laugh I had had in days. I knew Tugger would ask Mistoffelees to put it right. Mistoffelees would abide, of course, being a good friend of Tugger's, but not before the entire tribe had seen the new 'hairdo'. Even Mistoffelees had an evil side.

I sat alone until the shift change. I had watched contentedly as Tugger rooted Jerrie and Teazer out of their hiding spot and chased them all around the junkyard, throwing large objects at them, and calling out nasty insults and vicious threats. It was most amusing. I had lost track of time, and was therefore a bit surprised when Mistoffelees came up and sat down beside me.

"Did Tugger manage to catch those two?" I asked grinning.

"Nope! Old Deuteronomy intervened before Tugger had a chance to slaughter them. I'm pretty sure his intent was to kill. If there is one lesson you need to learn in life, it's this: Never, ever, ever, under any circumstances, touch Tugger's mane. He _will_ kill you, no joke." He smiled. "Jerrie and Teazer are in serious trouble now. And yes," He added, catching the look on my face, "even adult Jellicles get punished now and then. Although Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are just barely out of kittenhood themselves. They're just a year older than me, but they act as if they were two years younger!" Mistoffelees stroked his chin thoughtfully. "But I suppose that has something to do with spending most of their kittenhood on the street. They never did really grow up. Anyways, Jellylorum told me that Old Deuteronomy is making them be personal servants to Tugger for the next three days. And, they have to be nice, sincerely nice, that is, or the sentence gets extended." He grinned mischievously. "I ended up putting Tugger's mane right, but by the time he had stopped chasing the infamous duo, every Jellicle in the tribe had seen his mane. All the kittens are laughing at him now, even the queens. I almost feel bad for him." Mistoffelees pondered a moment. "Nah. That's what he gets for being so full of himself." I nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Misto, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, anything." He replied.

"Where do you get your magic?" Mistoffelees groaned.

"Of all the questions in the world you could ask me, you had the pick the one to which I have no answer!" He laughed, and shook his head. "I don't know where my magic comes from. I discovered it at a very young age, and I suspect I've always had it. Perhaps I was born with it. I just don't know."

"Were your parent's magic?" I regretted the question as soon as I asked it, for Misto suddenly looked very down.

"They died, when I was just a kit. I was raised by my Uncle, Bustopher Jones. I don't know if my parents were magic or not."

"I...I'm sorry." I said. I felt bad that I had upset Misto. After all, he was a very nice cat, and I wanted to be friends with him. Misto put an arm around me.

"Don't be. It was a reasonable question. Had I been in your position, I would have asked the exact same thing. I probably would have asked some other tactless questions too, come to think of it." He chuckled softly. "You are a very kind queen, you know. Perhaps a tad stubborn, but your heart is in the right place, and two sizes too big. Honestly, I think that Tugger deserves a punishment far harsher than yours, for all the times he's tried to kill Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, literally and metaphorically. They do love to pester him. If there's anybody in this tribe who's good natured, it's you." I blushed a little at the compliment.

For the rest of the shift, I sat quietly with Mistoffelees, having a good heart to heart. It was nice to get to know him so well, but as the shift changed, and Misto left, I began to wonder about some of the things he had said. I had a suspicion about him. I could only hope I was wrong.

**If you are one of those kind people who is going to choose a theme song for Munkustrap (because he didn't get one at the Jellicle ball, although he really deserves it!), then submit it in a review. **

**And while you are submitting your answer, write me a review! (Please) :P**


	11. A Law Repealed

**Wow! Chapter 11! Things are going pretty slowly, I know, But they're about to get really good! I promise!**

**It made me sad that I only got two reviews on my last chapter. I shan't write another chapter until I get reviews. Lots of them! :)**

**I'm getting meaner and meaner to Tugger. I can just imagine the scandilized look on JJ's face as she reads this chapter.**

**Chapter 11- A Law Repealed**

I was surprisingly calm on the day that my probation was supposed to end. A lot of the Jellicles had expected me to be beside myself with excitement, but I was strangely subdued. Perhaps it was because Munkustrap still had not returned from his expedition. I had to spend four shifts with Tugger, which wasn't very pleasant at all. Throughout the day, Tugger had treated me to a hellishly boring treatise on various ways he would like to nastily capture Jerrie and Teazer, and how exactly he would like to torture them once he had gotten a hold of them. Evidently, he was still a little miffed about the whole mane incident. It didn't help that Jerrie and Teazer had been sentenced to spend three days at Tugger's beck and call, and were therefore in close proximity as Tugger bored my tail off with a list of ways to kill the infamous duo. Jerrie and Teazer spent a lot of time glaring at Tugger and making nasty gestures whenever he wasn't looking. All three of us would have liked to slap Tugger for his excruciatingly long, boring and somewhat violent speech. After noticing how tortured I was becoming from the endless dissertation, Jerrie and Teazer had taken to making silly faces at me from behind Tugger's back, to entertain me.

As the day drew to a close, Old Deuteronomy called all the Jellicles to the junkyard. I walked to the centre of the circle alongside Old Deuteronomy. We turned to face the rest of the tribe. Old Deuteronomy cleared his throat, and said

"Fellow Jellicles, we are gathered to decide whether this young queen, Calypso, is worthy to join our tribe. After a week of probation, many of us have seen how Calypso interacts with the other Jellicles, at various times of the day. I now call upon her guardians to share their opinions. Tugger, would you like to go first?" Tugger shrugged and stepped forwards.

"Er, Calypso is...amiable. Yes, I suppose that's a good word to fit. She's pretty nice, although she didn't bother to untie me when Jerrie and Teazer tied me up," He put a very strong emphasis on his next words. "For which I think she is _very bad_. Other than that, I think she's okay." He shrugged again and sat down again. I could hear Jerrie and Teazer sniggering in the background. Next to step up was Mistoffelees. He looked uncomfortable. He didn't like public speaking.

"Calypso's very well-spoken, very polite, very intelligent, and very kind. She can feel empathy for the plight of others. She has a big heart, and I think that she would be a valuable addition to our tribe." He looked thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to figure out what else to say. Instead, like Tugger, he shrugged and sat down. Next up were Jerrie and Teazer. They were grinning broadly. I wondered why. Then suddenly, I noticed that Tugger had a 'kick me' sign stuck on his back. I sighed, shaking my head.

"Well, we like Calypso." Said Jerrie.

"Yeah, she's nice." Added Teazer.

"An' she didn't give us away when we..."

"Shh, Jerrie! They wasn't s'posed to know!"

"Oh, right, sorry Rump. I forgot."

"Well, now they all knows! Now we's going to be in trouble!"

"Well we're gonna be now, 'cuz you keep saying that!" Jerrie and Teazer glared daggers at each other. I chuckled. Over the past week, they had been doing a lot to aggravate Tugger, along with most of the other Jellicles. But Tugger was their favourite to irritate. There were at least six particular events that none but myself and the two troublemakers knew about. I wondered which one they were thinking of. I hoped that what Jerrie and Teazer had said wouldn't get me into trouble. After all, I should have reported them, instead of overlooking their misdeeds. I looked at Old Deuteronomy, and he just shrugged, as if to say "Don't worry about it." Jerrie and Teazer stepped off to the side to continue their bickering, and Skimbleshanks stepped up.

"Well, let's see. Calypso's been awfully polite. She plays nicely with the other kits, and hasn't gotten into any fights. She's quite prompt, and I have to say, I like her and I think she should stay." He winked at me, before sitting down. Next up were Coricopat and Tantomile. They kept finishing each others sentences, which was really weird.

"Calypso is..."

"Very good, kind and..."

"Polite. Her intentions are..."

"Good. She wants to be in this tribe very badly. We think..."

"That she should stay. She would..."

"Never hurt anybody and she could..."

"Contribute to the greater good of..."

"Our tribe." The twins said the last bit together, before sinking to the ground again. Last to stand up was, to my surprise, Asparagus Jr. He looked incredibly bored, as if he had better things to do then defend a kitten he barely knew.

"Munkustrap's asked me to speak on his behalf, since he couldn't be here himself. He said to tell you that Calypso is one of the most well-mannered kits he's ever seen, that she is polite, affectionate, tidy, punctual, blah blah blah, and she should be allowed to stay." He sat down again. I got the feeling that whatever Munkustrap wanted Asparagus to say about me would have been more lengthy, but it seemed that Asparagus had condensed what was probably a well-prepared speech down into ten seconds of generic niceness. Oh well. At least I knew that all the guardians were on my side. Old Deuteronomy smiled benevolently at me, before saying,

"It is agreed. Calypso is now a member of this Jellicle tribe!" A great cheer went through the junkyard. I was surprised. I didn't know that so many of the others wanted me to stay. Granted, a few of the cheers, like those of Alonzo and Asparagus, were a bit half-hearted, but I didn't care. I was in the tribe! I felt like cheering, but I held it back. I looked around the circle of cats, and I noticed Alonzo acting most peculiarly. He had stepped towards me, and was making strange motions with his mouth. Eventually he found his voice. As he spoke, the other cats quieted down to listen.

"Uh...I just wanted to say that, well, erm, how do I put this? I'm, uh, I'm sorry I doubted you. You really are a wonderful cat. I guess that I was being a bit stupid. You are welcome to play with my sons, if you want." As he finished this short dialogue, the circle of cats was completely silent. I thanked Alonzo, and the circle remained silent for about thirty more seconds before someone shouted out,

"Good on you, Alonzo! You finally lightened up!" Alonzo blushed, and stepped back, as cheerful chattering broke out amongst the gathered cats. The last remaining few that I hadn't officially been introduced to came up to me to nuzzle me, and ask questions about my life before I came to the tribe. We all talked for hours, and would have talked all night, were it not for the arrival of somebody most unexpected. Munkustrap had returned home.

**And now, the fun begins! Exciting stuff starts to happen in the next two chapters!**

**Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese review! Pretty pretty pretty please. I want your feedback!**


	12. New Arrivals

**Hey guys! ^_^ **

**Sorry it's been so long! I've had this chapter written for a while now, but I wasn't sure how to end it.**

**Now we get to find out what the mysterious suspicion about our beloved Mr. Mistoffelees is. (Don't worry, it's not too bad!) I also demand that somebody come up with a theme song for Munkustrap! He's the only cat out of my favorite three that doesn't have one, and it makes me sad!**

**Instead of studying for my math midterm tonight, I will be writing another chapter for you guys! *Ducks to avoid vicious attacks from Enspirit and JJ, who both think Cyllene should do her homework for once...***

**I want you all to review on this chapter. I finished writing it very late at night, and I fear it might be rambling, although it does clear up how old some of the cats are, which is kind of important. Also, it has occured to me that this chapter is slightly pointless...Oh well. Anyways, read onwards! =^_^=**

**Chapter 12- New Arrivals**

Munkustrap said nothing to any of the other cats as he walked solemnly through the clearing. Whispers broke out through the crowd assembled. I looked around trying to see what they were all staring at. Then I saw. There were two queens following closely behind Munkustrap. One was red and the other gold. They both bore scars, and signs of recent abuse, and they both looked exceptionally skittish, especially the gold one. Munkustrap strode up to Old Deuteronomy, and the two of them began to rapidly converse in hushed tones. Then, Munkustrap turned to the queens and beckoned them both forwards.

"This," he said, motioning to the red queen, "Is Bombalurina. And this," he gestured to the gold queen, "Is her older sister Demeter. I found them prisoners in Macavity's lair. There were two others, but I was too late to help them." The two queens stared at the ground. There was a tense silence throughout the junkyard. Finally, young Admetus asked,

"Where are they going to stay, Munk?" Munkustrap looked hopefully around the junkyard for volunteers. Eventually, Tugger stepped forwards and said,

"They can stay with me. My den is big enough for three, at least." At this, Bombalurina looked up at Tugger and beamed, blushing slightly. Demeter stared at the ground. It seemed that Bombalurina fancied Tugger, and from what I had heard about Tugger, I supposed he fancied her too. Or, if not, he would soon. Why else would he offer to share his den? Tugger was an individualist, and cared most for his own needs.

Tugger led the two queens away to his den, to get them settled in. As soon as they were out of sight, the rest of the tribe burst into noisy chatter. Much to my surprise, I found myself a part of the gossip among the kittens, which I normally would have avoided for fear of offending one of my fellow Jellicles.

"Why do y'think Macavity had them?"" asked Rumpleteazer excitedly.

"I bet e' kidnapped 'em for a ransom!" said Mungojerrie, bouncing on his heels. "I bet e' asked a fortune for them two, but their parents was poor an' couldn't pay!"

"Eww..." said Admetus. "That's so typical. I bet they got lost, and just asked Macavity for directions, and he took them prisoner!"

"But why would he just take them for no reason?" Asked Victoria, sniffing. "Surely he would have a reason..."

"What if...what if he kidnaps random queens out on the street for no reason?" squeaked a frightened Jemima.

"I'll be here to protect you." Said Pouncival, trying his best to sound tom-ly. He put a protective arm around Jemima who squealed, wriggling away from Pounce, and running behind Etcetera and Electra, both of whom were giggling uncontrollably.

"Jemmi's got a tom-friend! Jemmi's got a tom-friend!" They sang. Jemima turned bright red, and swatted the two of them on the backs of their heads.

Eager to get the conversation back to conspiracy theories, Plato suggested, "Maybe they are his children, but he killed their mother, and he's going to kill them too!" He shivered at the very thought.

"Or maybe they're just related to him in some way, but their parents died, and instead of looking after them, he just locked them up!" suggested Tumblebrutus.

"Or what if he was keeping them locked up for..." Pounce never got a chance to finish his sentence, because his voice was drowned out by the excited squeals of the other queen kits as Tugger approached. He was followed closely by Mistoffelees, but only the toms and myself had noticed he was there. The squeals of the queen-kits dissipated as they fainted dramatically, one by one. This gave the rest of us a chance to converse in quiet.

"I just got back from showing those two my den. They're both asleep now, and I've got Alonzo standing guard outside, so that they don't get ambushed or something. I heard Old D saying to Munkustrap that Macavity mustn't find out that those two are here." Said Tugger. Misto nodded.

"Yes, that's what I heard them say too. Munkustrap told me that Macavity's been keeping Demeter and Bombalurina for his...amusement." Misto's voice was filled with disgust as he said it.

"What do you mean by 'amusement'?" I asked.

"It means that he was keeping them locked up, and whenever he was bored he would..." Tugger was cut off by a sudden slap across the face from Jennyanydots, who had come up behind him.

"Talking like that in front of the kittens!" she scolded. "As if they need to hear that sort of thing. And you're only just out of kittenhood yourself, you know!"

"Jenny," he said in a patronised voice. "I am a full grown tom. I can say what I want to who I want." He fluffed his mane indignantly

"Not while I'm around, you can't." Jenny scowled, turned on her heel and marched away, muttering something about Tugger being a 'lusty, hair-brained, half-wit deviant'. Tugger looked rather injured, and his usually fluffy mane and tail drooped with sadness.

"What's the matter Tug? Can't take being insulted by Jenny?" Teased Misto, nudging Tugger gently in the ribs. Tugger just sniffed and looked away haughtily. Misto shook his head. "She's right you know. You're just a wittle baby kitten!" He laughed. Tugger glared at him.

"I'm a year older than Calypso, and I'm the same age as you. So that makes all three of us kittens then!" he said, tugging on Misto's tail playfully. Misto pulled away from him looking somewhat abashed.

"How old are those other two queens anyways?" asked Plato. He sounded a bit hopeful.

"Too old for you!" grinned Tugger. "But not too old for _me_. I think Bombalurina likes me, anyways. She's the same age as me, and Demeter's a year older than her. I think that's what she said, anyways. I wasn't really paying attention."

"You're in looooooooove!" laughed Tumble. "You looooooooove her, and you want to be her mate!" He danced out of Tugger's reach, still taunting, as Tugger attempted to grab hold of him.

"Is that all you toms think about? Mating?" asked Victoria, suddenly waking from her fainting spell, and looking disgusted, annoyed and slightly disappointed, all at the same time.

"Yeah, that's really gross!" piped up Electra, sitting up beside Victoria.

"I wouldn't object to being Tugger's mate," whispered Etcetera to Jemima who giggled.

"The Rum Tum Tugger is not any queens' mate." Huffed Tugger.

"Yeah, he's his own mate!" shouted Admetus. Tugger glared at him, before casting an anxious glance at the queen kits, sitting off to the side. Luckily for Tugger, they had not seemed to pick up on the connotations of Admetus' remark.

Tugger continued, "The Rum Tum Tugger will do as he do do, and what I like to do is be the ladies tom. I am not settling down with ANY queen. Ever." All the other toms rolled their eyes, and all the queen-kits suddenly became hysterical. Tugger suddenly realised what he had said in front of all of his admirers, and did the only thing he could think of. He ran away. Fast. Before any of the little queens could glomp him. The queens chased after him, and I was left standing with Tumble, Pounce, Plato, Admetus and Misto. Jerrie and Teazer had long since disappeared, without anybody noticing. I suddenly realized how late it was. I yawned loudly, and it seemed to dawn on the tom-kits that they were sleepy too. One by one, they made their ways back to their parents' dens, until I was left standing alone with Misto.

"May I walk you to your den?" he asked politely, blushing slightly. I nodded, and we walked along in silence. When we arrived at Munkustrap's den, we stood in silence for several minutes, looking into each others eyes. I glanced inside the den to see if Munkustrap was there, but he was not. Misto pulled me a little closer to him, and nuzzled his head against my neck. He then kissed me gently on the check before turning and heading back to his own den. I stood there in shock, my suspicions confirmed. I had no idea what to think. Misto...liked me.

**Now, review! Please!**


	13. Punishments

**Hey guys! Two chapters in one day! Aren't I nice? Well, I probably won't post another one during the week, so I thought I'd put up one now. I'll try and post one more tonight, but there are no promises. **

**Once again, I'm rather mean to Tugger. I do enjoy tormenting him. Something else special happens in this chapter too... =^_^=**

**Chapter 13- Punishments**

The next few days were filled with such tension that I was barely able to function. What with the arrival of two new queens, all of the toms were on edge, and were being overly protective of all of the queens, for fear that Macavity might show up and snatch one of us away. There were constantly toms guarding the entrance to the junkyard, usually three at a time, and the older queens would not let us kittens out of their sight. All of that plus my newly confused feelings for Misto, and I was feeling highly overwhelmed. I was still infatuated with Munkustrap, but I also liked Misto. I was so confused about the whole deal that I didn't even enjoy it when Munkustrap would nuzzle close to me at night. I had been avoiding Misto as much as possible. None of the other cats in the tribe knew about my and Misto's stolen kiss, and I intended to keep it that way, at least until I had made up my mind. My avoidance of Misto was made easier by the fact that Misto seemed to be avoiding me too. He seemed a little embarrassed by what had happened, and being such a shy tom, was doing his best to keep from coming face to face with me.

Although at first, none of the other cats paid attention to the fact that Misto and I would flee in opposite directions whenever we got within sight of one another, merely assuming that we had gotten into a small quarrel or something, they eventually began to notice that something was up. Munkustrap was the first to confront me on the matter, which made such matters even worse.

It happened as I was sitting on a ledge, sheltering myself from the heavy rain that poured down on the dim junkyard. The rain matched my mood at that moment; so full of despair, so dark and confusing. Munkustrap came over and sat down beside me.

"Calypso..." he began, seeming unsure of how to word what he was thinking. He finally settled on, "Have you been feeling alright these last few days?" His concerned gaze made me blush and look away. I didn't respond to his question, and so he continued, "I've noticed that you've been on edge these last few days. You're spending an awful lot of time on your own, and it looks like you're avoiding Mistoffelees." His voice was gentle, caring, and it was only making me feel more confused. "Did something happen between you two?" He asked softly. I nodded, mumbling an inaudible answer. "Do you want to tell me about it?" There was something reassuring in his gentle gaze, but I shook my head no. This was just too awkward. Munkustrap sighed, rubbing his temples with his paws. "Okay, so you want to play the guessing game." He paused, sighing again. There was something in his exasperated sigh which suggested that he regularly had to play guessing games to find out what was wrong whenever something was bothering one of the kittens.

"Did you and Misto get into a fight?" He asked. I shook my head no. "Well, did one of the kittens embarrass you in front of Misto?" I shook my head no again. "Did something...else...happen between you and Misto?" he asked. This time I didn't shake my head, but I blushed bright red, and didn't look at Munkustrap. A look of comprehension dawned on Munkustrap's face. He nuzzled me sympathetically. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" He asked again. We sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Finally I spoke.

"Well, erm, the other day...when, uh, we were, uh, talking with the other kittens, they all left for bed, and Misto offered to walk me home, and when we got there...well, we...um, he...you see, he..." I couldn't finish my sentence. I simply burst into tears. I had no idea why, but suddenly I was sobbing uncontrollably on Munkustraps' shoulder. He looked a little taken aback, but he nuzzled me comfortingly. After a long while, he said,

"He kissed you, didn't he?" I nodded miserably, drying my tears on my tail. Why did I feel so unhappy, so ashamed? Munkustrap pulled me a little closer. "Poor kit," he chuckled, "I understand how you feel. You're not sure if you like him or not. Am I right?" I nodded again. There was nothing more to say between Munkustrap and I. We sat in silence for a long time. His presence, his soothing paw on my shoulder, made me feel a lot better. By the time the dark storm had finally broken, my dark mood had too. I rose, nuzzled Munkustrap, thanking him for sitting with me and making me feel better, and then set off to find Misto.

I discovered Misto lurking behind an old dryer. He jumped rather guiltily when he saw me, and looked around for an exit, but I was standing in the only one. Instead, he blushed a deep shade of crimson, and stared at the ground, tail twitching uncomfortably.

"Er, hi Calypso." He murmured.

"Hi, Misto." I said. "Listen, I've been thinking about what happened the other night, and..." Misto cut me off.

"I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have done what I did, and it made things all awkward, and I know you probably don't even like me, but you're so pretty and nice and...Oh god, what am I saying?!" He cut off his blabbering, horrified at what he had just said.

"Misto," I said softly. "I...I think I like you too." Misto looked up, astonished.

"You mean...?"

"Yes." I replied, a bit more confidence in my voice. Misto's face brightened as he pulled me close to him, nuzzling me.

"Finally!" He sighed, contentedly. "I've never had much luck with the queens, but I've snagged the most beautiful queen in the whole of the junkyard!" I giggled, and squirmed as he tried to tickle me.

"Misto! Stop it!" I laughed, as he grinned playfully. Suddenly, we were interrupted by a wolf whistle from Tugger, who was perched on the dryer, spying on us.

"Aww...that's so sweet! You're in love!" he hooted. Misto and I both blushed.

"Go away, Tugger!" I called. "You're so gross, spying on us!"

"But how am I supposed to keep up on the junkyard gossip, if I don't spy on the young lovers?" He asked with a mock pout. I suddenly felt a cold weight in the pit of my stomach.

"No...Tugger...please! No, don't do it!" I begged. Tugger grinned.

"No, I'm going to do it. I'm going to tell everyone! This is my payback to you, Caly."

"Wha...? What did I do?"

"You know what." He hissed.

"No, I really don't!" I said, genuinely confused. Tugger sniffed, and looked away, muttering,

"Liar."

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what he was talking about. But then suddenly I saw it. The back of Tuggers' mane was done up in at least fifteen French-braids. I stifled a laugh, with some difficulty. Jerrie and Teazer had been tormenting him again and Tugger thought I was in on the joke.

"No...Tugger..." I gasped. My sides hurt from trying not to laugh. "It wasn't me! I swear! I wasn't in on this, and I wasn't in on the last one either."

"But you didn't untie me, did you? You let me sit there tied up while Jerrie and Teazer escaped." It was hard to tell, but I think Tugger was fighting back tears. This only made me want to laugh harder.

"I'm sorry....Tugger, I really am..." I though I might have cracked a few ribs from trying not to laugh. It really was hard.

"Hey, Tug, I'll put it right for you if you don't say anything." Suggested Misto desperately. Tugger nodded curtly, and Misto's paws crackled with blue lightening. Suddenly, Tuggers mane was back to normal. Perhaps this would have been enough to buy Tuggers silence, but at that moment, I just couldn't hold it in any longer. I burst out laughing.

"Mane...so...funny...ohmygod...can't breath...just too funny..." Misto broke down and began laughing hysterically too. Tugger suddenly looked furious. Before we could stop him, Tugger hollered out,

"Munkus, Jenny, Jelly, everybody! Come quickly! Now! Hurry!" Misto and I sat bolt upright, smiles vanished from our faces. Cats came bursting out of every part of the junkyard. From the way Tugger had shouted, they thought that something was seriously wrong. Munkustrap was the first to come rushing up.

"What is it Tugger, what's happened? What's wrong?" He asked urgently. All the other cats were close behind him, asking things along the same general lines.

Tugger cleared his throat and announced magnificently, "Misto and Calypso..._are going out_!" He shot me and Misto a triumphant look. I wanted to curl up and die. Misto looked exactly how I felt. He was trying to hide behind me, but that wasn't working out so well, because I was trying to hide behind him at the same time. We ended up pressed together, backed against the edge of the dryer. I couldn't believe that Tugger had done something so juvenile and awful.

As Tugger made his announcement, a variety of reactions broke out among the crowd. The queen kits started squealing excitedly, and congratulating me, but the tom kits looked disgusted. They were staring at Misto as if to say, "Eww...you actually like a queen? But she has _queen_ _germs_!" Munkustrap was gazing sternly at Tugger, a look which clearly said, "Oh man, you're in trouble." But at the same time, Munkustrap was looking at me out of the corner of his eye, with a look that said "Aww, young love is so sweet!" Jenny and Jelly bore that same look directed at me and Misto, while glaring openly at Tugger. A lot of the cats were whispering. Suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. I shoved my way through the crowd, dragging a surprised Misto with me.

Misto and I settled ourselves down underneath an old mattress, leaning against a broken radiator. It was starting to rain again. We hid under the mattress, sheltered from the gloom, and waited for the crowd to dissipate. Soon most of the Jellicles were gone. Tugger, Munkustrap, Jenny, Jelly, Alonzo and Skimble were the only ones left.

Jenny and Jelly began to scold Tugger for alarming the tribe about trivial nonsense. Then Skimble scolded Tugger for not coming to an older cat for help to solve his problems with Mungo and Rumple. Then Alonzo lectured Tugger on the dangers of making false alarms, and even went so far as to tell Tugger the tale of 'The Cat who Cried Pollicle". After Alonzo was done, Munkustrap gave Tugger a very long talking to about how nasty it was to humiliate me and Misto in front of the whole tribe. I waited with baited breath as Munkustrap spoke, anxious to hear if he would betray my meltdown to the others, but to my relief he didn't mention it. After Munkustrap was done scolding Tugger, Misto and I giggled as we listened to the cries of Tugger as he received a spanking from Jennyanydots. Apparently Tugger was still a kitten in the eyes of the elder cats. After they had all departed, Misto and I curled up against one another, and fell fast asleep.

**Review! Review! Review! Then I'll give you virtual cookies! OOO**


	14. Calm Before the Storm

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long, but you know...school and such is quite busy, and I've also gotten a new puppy that requires a lot of work. (I wanted a cat named Mr. Mistoffelees, but mom said no...) You may have noticed that all of the chapters have been re-posted. Don't fret! The typos were just getting on my nerves, that's all. I didn't change much, so don't feel as though you need to re-read it or anything.**

**This chapter, is in my opinion, not great. Nothing really happens in it, but I put it in anyways. I know that the timeline of Calypso getting sick is unrealistic (Ha! Now you _have_ to read it!), but I was too lazy to write it happening over a span of days, and also it just sounds better this way. More dramatic! ^_^ Also, I am very much aware that staying out in the rain does not make you sick. I don't care. Again, it sounds better this way.**

**I have posted some important information on my profile pertaining to this story. It is a list of ages and pairings, and general Jellicle rules, in case you were interested. It really clears up some of the things that are to come, so I would suggest you take a look at it. ^_^ **

**Finally, it is my sad duty to report that I have written out drafts of the rest of the story, and there is now a forseeable end in the near future. Sorry, but I'm running out of things to do to Tugger's mane. ^_^ Anyways, there will still be lots of chapters before it ends. It's going to get really good soon! (Or is it good already?...)**

**I'll shut up now, then. Ciao!**

**Chapter 14- Calm Before the Storm**

Misto and I collectively avoided most of the other cats in the junkyard for the next week and a half. Tugger had embarrassed Misto and me far beyond reconciliation, for which we could not easily forgive him. True, it had all been a misunderstanding about another one of the infamous 'mane' incidents, but the fact that Tugger thought I was plotting with Jerrie and Teazer against him made me feel very indignant. After all, even if I was never on Tugger's side when Jerrie and Teazer were tormenting him, I was never on Jerrie and Teazers' side either. Well, at least not directly. It did amuse me to watch Tugger running around the junkyard shrieking about his mane like a girl. Jerrie and Teazer felt bad about Tugger embarrassing me and Misto. After all, it was partially their fault. In compensation, they tried extra hard to bother Tugger. (It's the thought that counts, really.) The day after Tugger exposed me and Misto's newly formed companionship, Jerrie and Teazer took a permanent marker and wrote the words 'Pollicle Frolicker" across Tugger's forehead while he slept. To make matters worse for poor Tugger, Misto refused to magically remove the words for a full 36 hours. Tugger was not pleased.

After a while, the gossip in the junkyard died down, and Misto and I went about our business as usual. Or should I say, unusual. Neither of us had gone out before, so the whole thing was new to both of us. There was a minor problem for me, however, that I would rather have died than told Misto. I still secretly liked Munkustrap. Not as much as before, but still quite a lot. Shortly after Tugger had ousted me and Misto to the whole tribe, I had told Munkustrap that I was moving in with Misto. Munkustrap didn't seem too keen on the idea of me living alone with my tom-friend, but I was perfectly within the rules of the tribe, so there was nothing Munkustrap could do about it. I think Munkustrap secretly missed me being around all the time. I guess he saw me sort of as his adopted kitten, as he had none of his own. Munkustrap would make a great father one day. He was always rather protective of me, as if I were his own daughter, which was why my liking Munkustrap was more than a little awkward for me. When I moved out, Munkustrap cautioned me again and again about the rules of the tribe.

"Remember, Calypso," he reminded me for the hundredth time, "Misto is your tom-friend, and nothing more. So, keep it G rated. Don't forget that. You know, maybe moving in with Misto is a bad idea. You could, and probably should, stay with me. That way you wouldn't be tempted to..."

"Ew! Munkustrap!" I shrieked, "That's so gross! You know I would never...ugh...what kind of queen do you think I am? Misto is just my tom-friend. I know the rules, Munkus. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Munkustrap gazed at me sternly.

"I'm just making sure that this is clear. You don't want to go breaking the rules of the junkyard. And I care for you, and I don't want to see you get hurt. Misto is a good tom, but emotions can sometimes get in the way of things. Keep that in mind. Are you sure you would rather stay with Misto?"

"Yes, Munkustrap," I sighed, "I am. Don't worry. I'll be fine. And Misto's den is just around the corner from yours." I grinned mischievously. "We'll be good. I promise." Munkustrap rolled his eyes.

"If you say so..."

Later that night, while I was snuggling in beside Misto in his den, we were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Tugger, coming in to tease us about sharing a den, and other such things. It was by no means malicious, however. We had already made up with Tugger for his telling the tribe about me and Misto. Still, Tugger couldn't help but taunt us a little bit. That was just the way he was.

"I never thought that you'd _ever_ get a queen-friend, Misto." Laughed Tugger, nudging Misto playfully. Misto hissed, rather irritated at Tugger ruining what promised to be a quiet and relaxing evening. After we had shooed Tugger out of our den, we were interrupted by yet another knock on the door. This time, it was Munkustrap. He asked to see Misto privately. I waited until Misto and Munkustrap had left, before creeping after them to eavesdrop, a bad habit I had acquired. Munkustrap and Misto sat down in the middle of the main clearing, and I hid behind the old car to listen.

"There's no point in beating around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point. Misto, you've been my friend ever since you came to this tribe. You know that I trust and respect you greatly. But I want to make it perfectly clear that if you ever hurt Calypso, in any way, you'll have to answer to me. Don't break her heart, or toy with her emotions. I love her like a daughter, and I don't want her to get hurt by a tom who is just fooling around. If you truly and honestly love for her, then take care of her, and don't let it end in heartbreak over some silly argument or some such thing. I know you aren't like my brother, Tugger, far from it actually, but I just want to make sure that you understand. I care for both of you, and I just want you both to be happy."

"Munkustrap," said Misto gravely, "I love Calypso so much, and will love her more as every day goes by. I won't break her heart. I promise. And if I do, I will immediately try to make amends and win back her heart. There is no cat I care more deeply for." Munkustrap smiled gently.

"That is exactly what I was hoping to hear. You two do make a good couple." He winked in a very un-Munkustrapish way, before sending Misto off. When Misto returned to the den, I was curled up, waiting. My heart felt all squiggly and warm from what I had heard Misto say. We curled up together, in his cozy den, and I felt the happiest I had ever felt. Misto nuzzled me gently, and I purred contentedly. We slept for a few hours curled up together, but I woke up not too long after. I crept out of Misto's den, and sat upon the highest peak in the junkyard to enjoy the crisp night air. I had an unfortunate habit of spending many nights perched on the topmost peak, gazing at the beautiful moonlit sky. I hoped that Misto wouldn't mind terribly, for I did it frequently. Misto joined me about half and hour later, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Why're you up so early, Calypso?" He mumbled sleepily.

"I dunno. I just wanted to get some fresh air. Would you like to join me?" I asked hopefully. Misto nodded, and we sat together staring at the horizon. Well, we stared at what we thought was the horizon. The sky was dark, and cloudy, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Occasionally, lightning flashed across the charcoal sky. Before long, it began to rain. Well, rain is an understatement. It absolutely poured. We sheltered ourselves under an old armchair, but managed to get completely soaked anyways. We fell asleep many times as we sat atop the peak, but were always abruptly awakened by the vicious thunder and lightning. It poured and poured all night long. It was so grey and cloudy that dawn never officially arrived. It stayed black as night. Around dawn, or lack thereof, Misto and I fell properly asleep. We awoke at what must have been noon, although it was hard to tell. The sky had not lightened even the slightest bit. It was rather depressing. After we awoke, we retreated to Misto's den, where we sat and talked the day away. None of the other cats were out and about either. They all remained inside where it was warm and dry.

Some may have called this a wasted day, but Misto and I enjoyed it immensely. But there was trouble ahead, and I was to pay dearly for my night spent out in the rain. I don't remember when exactly I fell asleep, but it must have been while I was in the middle of a conversation, for when I awoke some hours later, Misto was standing protectively over me, eyes filled with panic and concern.

"Oh, Calypso! Finally! You're awake. I'm so worried. You have such a high fever. You don't look well. How do you feel?"

"Mmrph." Was all I could reply. I could barely move. I felt so cold and yet so hot. I felt like my head had fallen off. I wanted this to go away. I felt miserable. Misto sat with me for a long time, fussing worriedly about me. Eventually, he rose to his feet.

"This is really bad. I'm going for help. Stay here. I'll be back soon." He kissed me upon my feverish forehead, and left. I dozed off then, and awoke later as Mistoffelees returned with the help he had gone out for. He had brought with him Jennyanydots, Munkustrap, Coricopat and Tantomile. I heard Jenny ask worriedly,

"What happened, Misto? How long has she been like this?"

"We fell asleep in the rain last night. She's been like this since about six o'clock this evening. It's eleven o'clock now, so I guess it's been five hours." Said Misto anxiously. He was hopping from foot to foot, fidgeting. I saw Munkustrap shake his head.

"What a foolish thing to do, waiting so long." He murmured. Jenny, the twins and Munkustrap looked me over, trying to find what was making me so sick. Finally, Jenny announced,

"She has pneumonia. There's not much that I can do, but perhaps the twins know of something...?"

"There are a few things we could give her that would help." Answered Coricopat quietly. The next thing I knew, a hot liquid was being forced down my throat by Coricopat, while Munkustrap held my head up, so I wouldn't choke. I felt paralysed; I couldn't will myself to move. After swallowing the drink, I suddenly felt very sleepy. I couldn't help myself. I completely blacked out within seconds. As I slept, I had very strange dreams, an effect of the drink, no doubt. In my dream, I was with Mistoffelees, who had just proclaimed his undying love for me. Suddenly, he morphed into Munkustrap who was telling me that I should be faithful to my tom-friend. The he kissed me, and said that he knew I loved him more. I agreed with him. Suddenly, Munkustrap changed into Macavity, and laughed evilly as he advanced on me. Well, I thought it was Macavity. I had never seen the evil cat, but in my dream, he looked like Tugger, but without the mane, and with huge twelve-inch fangs. I awoke with a scream, sweating like crazy. I looked around wildly, before my eyes fell on Misto, and I relaxed a bit. The others were now gone from Misto's den. Misto looked extremely tense, but as my gaze fell upon him, he quietly said,

"Your fever's gone down. You seem better. You've been asleep for nine hours, though. Are you feeling okay? You were thrashing around a lot, saying things in your sleep..." Suddenly, I got a cold shivery feeling.

"Er...what was I saying?" I asked, an awful feeling growing in my gut.

"Oh, nothing really...kind of jumbled..." he said it airily enough, but his eyes were troubled. Nonetheless, he came up beside me, and laid down next to me, nuzzling me gently. After a while, he asked, "Calypso, do you love me?"

"With all my heart." Was my mumbled reply. I was still feeling woozy from the stuff Coricopat had made me drink. Misto relaxed a bit as I said that, but I still couldn't help but wonder what I had said in my sleep that had gotten poor Misto so uptight.

**Aww...Isn't it sweet to see Munkus being so fatherly...it just melts my heart! ^_^**

**Please review!**


	15. Fights and Flights

**I'm back! Sorry it's been a while, but my mom took my computer away. Luckily, I got it back after the puppy tried to eat it. (Long story) Anyways, this chapter has a lot of connotations and sexual themes. But it's really funny, well part of it, anyways. **

**Things are really starting to happen in my story. ^_^ Thi****ngs will be moving really quickly now, with break-ups and make-ups in every chapter. There will usually be a span of several days between events in chapters, but I'm running out of filler, and it's not like people really care about the filler anyways.**

**I enjoyed writing this chapter, even though it is the middle of the night. I hope you like it. This story is getting pretty mushy. Alas, I'm a sucker for romance, especially if Munkustrap or Mistoffelees is involved! ^_^**

**Chapter 15- Fights and Flights**

"You're disgusting! I can't stand you two anymore! I'd tell the pair of you to get a room, but unfortunately, I have to share it with you! For Heaviside's sake, can't either of you keep it in your pants for five minutes?"

These were the disgusted howls of rage coming from Demeter as she stormed out of the den she shared with her sister Bombalurina, and the unfortunately lusty Tugger. I was sitting with Misto on the big tyre in the center of the junkyard, watching the argument, and fighting to suppress a severe fit of giggles. The situation wasn't really that funny, but Misto and I couldn't help but snigger. It was just one of those moments when you feel the urge to laugh at the most inappropriate time. And we weren't the only ones that were laughing at the awkward situation between Demeter, Tugger and Bombalurina. Plato and Tumble were nearby, rolling around on the ground laughing hysterically.

"Oh, come on babe, please stay. We promise not to fool around while you're awake anymore..." pleaded Tugger. He was standing outside the entrance to his den, a sheet wrapped around him, and his mane tousled. He had obviously just been in bed with Bombalurina. Tuggers' comment disgusted Demeter even further. Demeter suppressed a shudder at the thought of her sister and Tugger 'getting it on' while she was asleep in the same bed. Misto and I suppressed another fit of giggles. It was common knowledge throughout the tribe that Tugger and Bombalurina were sleeping together. We expected no less of Tugger, but Bombalurina was quickly gaining a reputation as tribe slut. After all, it was only five pm, and she and Tugger were at it again. I wondered if they ever got any sleep at night.

Demeter looked like she was about to explode, but luckily Munkustrap arrived in time to prevent what promised to be a very entertaining assault on Tugger. Tugger wrapped his sheet a little tighter around himself, and nervously ran a paw through his mane, trying to smooth the ruffled fur. It was all fine and well for Tugger to stand exposed in the middle of the junkyard, letting everybody know what he had just been doing, but I guess things get a little more complicated when your older, and much more mature brother shows up on the scene.

"What's going on here?" asked Munkustrap. His voice was calm, but there was a steely glint in his eye which suggested that he knew perfectly well what was going on. Demeter came up to Munkustrap and stood by his side, glaring at Tugger, and Bombalurina, who had come up behind Tugger, and was casting a pleading look to her sister.

"I'm sick of them sleeping around all the time!" hissed Demeter nastily. Munkustrap looked at her sympathetically. "It's really hard to sleep at night when all you can hear is 'Oh you big, strong, manly tom, save me from the evil Pollicle!'" Admetus, who had just arrived on the scene to see what all the commotion was about, froze, staring at Tugger and Bombalurina, before bursting into gales of laughter. Munkustrap tried to give Admetus what was meant to be a reproachful look, but failed. He was having a difficult time keeping a straight face himself. Munkustrap managed to compose himself enough to step forward and take command of the sniggering cluster of Jellicles in the clearing.

"Okay, everybody. That's enough!" The group fell silent. "Tugger, Bombalurina, please, please stop doing each other for five minutes! We're all getting sick of this constant fooling around. Nobody wants to go near your den, or you for that matter, because everything that goes on with you two is R rated. If you don't get a hold of yourselves, I'm sending you two to see Old Deuteronomy." Tugger looked horrified at the very thought. "As for you, Demeter, you can stay with me until you find new lodgings. Is that okay with you?" Demeter nodded, still glaring at Tugger and Bombalurina. "Okay, everybody clear off now. That means you guys too." He added, pointing at me and Misto. Munkustrap led Demeter away to show her his den. Tumble, Plato and Admetus all left together, still laughing their heads off. Lastly, Tugger and Bombalurina retreated back inside their den. Misto and I remained sitting on the tyre, gossiping quietly about Tugger and Bombalurina. We sat there for about five minutes before we heard, 'Oh Tugsy, my big, strong hero, save me from the wicked pollicles!' Misto and I ran away from there as fast as we could. We were both rather grossed out, but were laughing uncontrollably, nonetheless.

Later that day, Misto left me to go hang out with Jerrie for a while. I was rather bored wandering around the junkyard by myself, but I ran into Demeter, sitting alone on a broken chair, looking rather down. I sat down next to her.

"What's up, Demeter?" I asked

"Oh, nothing really." She sighed. "I'm just sick of my sister being such a slut with Tugger. I mean, you'd think after what happened with Macavity that she'd be a little more conservative, but..." she trailed off. After a few moments silence she continued,

"Bomba's always been more free-spirited than me. Things just don't bother her so much. She could have a near-death experience one minute, and the next minute, she'd be off having fun, thinking of more ways to get into trouble. She's just that kind of person. I wish I could be that happy and carefree. It must be a pretty great life." Demeter sighed sadly again.

"But I'm sure that it must get pretty boring, being that..."

"Exciting?" suggested Demeter, moodily.

"Well, yes and no. I mean, it probably gets old pretty quickly, being exciting. I'm sure there are times when she would rather settle down and be calm and everything."

"I doubt it." Muttered Demeter sulkily.

Desperate to change the subject, I asked, "Are you going to enjoy staying with Munkustrap? He's pretty nice." Demeter brightened instantly.

"Oh yes. I really like Munkus. I mean _like_ like. He's so kind and patient, not all harsh like Macavity was, and he's so strong and caring, not to mention he's sooo good looking..."

"Oh, I know!" I sighed longingly, before I could stop myself.

"Huh?" said Demeter, "I didn't quite catch what you said."

"Oh..." I blushed, "I just said that he was really nice." Demeter shrugged, and went back to her rambling about how great Munkustrap was. I stayed with Demeter for a while, but I began to get sick of her going on and on about Munkustrap. After all, she was the right age to go out with Munkustrap. She could have what I never would, which made me really upset. I made an excuse to get away from Demeter, who continued talking long after I had left her side. I needed a distraction, something to get Munkustrap off my mind. I went to the den that I shared with Misto, but Misto wasn't home. I paced anxiously, waiting for him to return. An hour passed, then two, then three. It was midnight, when Misto finally came home. By that time I was completely agitated about Munkustrap, and furious with Misto.

"Where in Heaviside have you been?!" I shrieked at Misto the second he came through the door. Misto stopped in his tracks, looking rather puzzled.

"Caly, are you alright?" he asked concernedly, edging nervously towards me.

"No, I'm not bloody alright! Where have you been all night? Whenever I need you, you're not here! What makes you think that you have the right to stay out all night with Jerrie, when I'm home alone waiting for you?" I hollered. Misto's ears pressed flat to his head.

"I lost track of time." He said quietly. "It was an accident. It won't happen again. What did you want me for, anyways? Is something wrong? Can I help?"

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG? What do you care what's wrong? All you care about is yourself, and your own selfish needs! I can't stand you!" I broke down into tears. A few hours ago, I was joking and laughing with Misto, and now I was yelling at him with all of my strength. I felt as though I had lost control of myself. Why was I doing this? I loved Misto more than anything, and I didn't want him to go. But I just couldn't seem to stop myself, the angry stream of words pouring out of my mouth.

Misto narrowed his eyes, looking at me coldly. "I'm selfish? You think I'm selfish? What about you? Talking and moaning in your sleep. 'Oh Munkustrap, I love you so much. Why can't we be together?'" He said the last part in a girly imitation of myself. So that was what I had said in my sleep. I felt a chill run down my spine, and I glared at Misto angrily.

"Well, at least Munkustrap doesn't stay out all night when other people need him!" I screeched at Misto.

"Fine then!" he roared back. "If Munkustrap's so great, then why don't you go stay with him?"

"I will!" I yelled at Misto, before turning and storming out of the den. "I hate you! It's over!" I yelled over my shoulder as I left.

"Same to you! Don't come crawling back to me, because I can't stand you!" Misto slammed the door, and I was left sobbing in the middle of the junkyard. I don't know how long I stood there, but I was pulled from my morose thoughts by a gentle paw on my shoulder. It was Munkustrap. I buried my face into his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Fight with Misto?" he asked softly. I nodded glumly. Munkustrap looked at me sympathetically, pulling me into a hug. "You can stay with me tonight." He murmured, steering me towards his den. As we entered the den, we were met by a rather surprised Demeter.

"Oh, Calypso, what's wrong?" She cried, leaping towards me. "What happened? Are you okay?" I didn't answer. Munkustrap leaned over, and said in a quiet voice to Demeter,

"She had a fight with Misto. They broke up."

"Oh, you poor thing!" exclaimed Demeter, pulling me into a warm embrace. "Misto will figure out soon enough that you are the right one for him! Don't you worry. It'll be okay."

Munkustrap and Demeter spent the rest of the night fretting over me, and trying to comfort me. They were acting almost like parents to me. I had to admit, it was kind of nice, seeing as I had never had any parents. Munkustrap's and Demeter's care for me eased the pain of my break-up with Misto. I felt so bad, because the entire thing was my fault. And now that my infatuation with Munkustrap was out in the open, the guilt was practically eating me alive. Nonetheless, I managed to block it out long enough to fall asleep, nestled between Munkustrap and Demeter, wrapped in two loving pairs of arms.

**You guys have stopped reviewing! What's the deal? I really want feedback, especially now that the mush is really starting to kick in! **

**Please review! The only reviews I get now are from JJ and Enspirit, and that's only because I bribe them to review. :( So pretty pretty please tell me what you think!**


	16. A Grudge Gone too Far

**Okay, I'm sorry, but I really seem to be turning Calypso into a b****. I mean, she's getting rather nasty. I think I'll make her a little nicer in the future. Well, we made it to chapter 16. I never thought I'd make it past 5, but once I get typing I just can't stop myself. This chapter has two separate themes in it, and once of them is utterly pointless, but I simply couldn't resist a lame pun. So, yeah...**

**Chapter 16- A Grudge Gone too Far**

I spent the next several weeks moping around, and making everybody around me just as miserable as I was. I avoided Misto like the plague, and he returned the favour. Whenever I did happen to run into Misto, I'd glare at him coldly, and stalk haughtily away. Misto would usually hiss at me with a look so cold that it made the Arctic seem warm. I was glad that he refrained from trying to electrocute me with his magical powers. He was angry enough with me to do that, but luckily he had self control, something which I lacked. It was probably a good thing that I had no magical powers, or else Misto would have been magically fried several times over, by now. I was furious with Misto for calling me on something that he wasn't even supposed to know about. It broke my heart that our relationship was over before it even began, but I put aside the sadness, and replaced it with seething anger, an emotion which was far easier to understand and cope with. Misto seemed to be faring worse than I was. Sure, he would hiss nastily at me if I came anywhere close to him, but many a night, when I would sit atop the highest junk pile, gazing at the stars, I could hear Misto quietly crying, alone in his den. I would have felt bad for him, had I not been so mad at him.

Demeter and Munkustrap were doing everything they could think of to cheer me up. In fact, most of the cats I knew were trying to cheer me up. Jemima and Victoria came by with some lilies they had found growing by the edge of the junkyard, that they thought I might like. Electra, Etcetera, Pouncival and Tumblebrutus tried to coax me into playing tag with them. Admetus and Plato tempted me with a freshly caught rat, which they had hunted specially for me. Jerrie and Teazer kept cornering me to tell me jokes and riddles, in attempt to make me laugh. Even Tugger set aside his ego long enough to let Jerrie and Teazer dress him up like a girl, with his mane dyed bright pink. I had to admit, that one did make me laugh pretty hard. But no matter how hard everybody tried to cheer me up, I always fell back into my state of despair very quickly.

"She's in denial." I heard Jerrie saying to Teazer one evening. "She jus' won't admit that she still likes Misto, an' all." I knew deep in my heart that Jerrie was right, but I didn't want to believe it. Part of me still wanted to be mad at Misto. Poor Misto was looking awful these days. His heart was crushed into tiny pieces, and I knew it. But I wouldn't admit it to myself that I wanted to apologise and take Misto back. It was just too hard.

As the weeks wore on, the dull ache in my heart subsided, although most days I still wasn't up to my usual perky, cheerful self. Demeter had taken it upon herself to become a mother figure towards me. I didn't really mind, and I had a lot of fun around Demeter.

One particular day, I had awoken early, and had gone out to find something to eat. Usually, the older cats hunted for me, along with the rest of the kittens, but since nobody else was up yet, I thought I would try my hand at hunting. Admetus and Plato were experts in hunting already and never needed help from the older cats to get their meals. I hoped I could be as good as them some day. It took me several hours to find a rat, but when I finally found one, I eagerly chased it around and around, before it scurried away through a drainpipe. I stared at the pipe morosely. I had almost had it! Man, was I hungry. I turned around, intending to find another rat to catch, but I found myself facing Demeter, who was watching me with an amused look in her eyes.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" she asked me, grinning.

"I'm hunting." I replied sheepishly. "I'm not very good yet..."

"You're not _any_ good get." laughed Demeter. "Why were you chasing the rat? Chasing is what Pollicles do. Cats are supposed to pounce on their prey. Surely you know that...?"

"Er...no..." Demeter gasped.

"You don't know how to pounce? Well no wonder you can't hunt! You need to learn to pounce!" Demeter took a step back from me, crouching down, and hissed softly, her tail lashing from one side to the other. Then, suddenly, and without warning, she pounced on me, tackling me to the ground. We ended up tangled together as a laughing, squealing knot. I rolled away breathlessly.

"Show me how to do that! That looks so fun!"

"Sure thing, Caly!" smiled Demeter. "First thing you do is..." Demeter was cut off by the arrival of Jemima, Pouncival and Tumblebrutus. Pouncival yawned sleepily.

"Whacha doin' Demi? Looks like fun."

"I'm teaching Calypso to pounce. Would you like to join us?"

"Would I ever!" said Pouncival excitedly, bouncing on his heels. "I'm Pouncival, so pouncing's what I do!" Demeter smiled affectionately, and the rest of us groaned at the lame pun. The majority of the morning was spent in a lesson with Demeter learning how to pounce like a proper Jellicle cat should. Jemima quickly proved to be an expert at both stalking her prey and pouncing. She was stealthy, and quiet, and she caught a rat with perfect ease in a matter of seconds. Tumblebrutus was rubbish at pouncing, and was more suited to stalking his prey, a talent that was unfortunately useless by itself.

"Okay, Demeter, I think I got it." Tumblebrutus backed up, crouched down, and slowly crept forwards. Then, he leapt up, pounced, and landed with his face in the dirt. The rest of us laughed. Tumblebrutus grinned, rather embarrassed. Pouncival came forward eagerly.

"Oh, Demeter, can I try? Can I try? I think I can do it!" Pouncival got down into pouncing position, and quietly stalked forwards, and then he pounced with all the force in his body, in attempt to live up to his name. He landed hard with all four legs sprawled out, but grinning nonetheless. He leapt to his feet, and tried again. He stayed low to the ground, quietly moving, as stealthy and can be. Then suddenly, he shouted, "POUNCE!" and leapt forwards with all his might. This time, he landed neatly on the ground, with perfect pouncing skill, but he received no applause because the rest of us were rolling on the ground laughing our tails off. Pouncival proudly strutted around the glade, clearly proud of his perfect pounce. Not looking where he was going, Pouncival ran head on into Munkustrap, who was out for an early morning stroll. "Hey, Munkus, Munkus, guess what! Guess what! I can pounce!" said Pouncival proudly.

"Oh, really?" said Munkustrap, "Why don't you show me? I'm sure you're a very good pouncer, Pouncival." He added. Pouncival backed up, got ready to pounce, yelled 'POUNCE' at the top of his lungs, and leapt onto Munkustrap. Jemima, Tumblebrutus and I followed suit. Demeter stood to the sidelines, laughing merrily at the sight of Munkustrap covered with pouncing kittens. When Munkustrap finally got the four of us off of him, he stood up, brushing the dirt from his coat, and said, "Well, you certainly are quite good pouncers!" he smiled at us. "And you, Calypso, it's good to see that you aren't moping today. I've missed your smile." He nuzzled against me affectionately, before turning to Demeter. He took her hand, and the two of them walked off together, chatting idly. The other three and I continued to practice our hunting skills, and wound up playing a game of cat and mouse. Jemima and I were the cats, because we were the better pouncers. Tumblebrutus and Pouncival were the mice. Jemima and I chased them all around the junkyard, trying to pounce on them. Soon, Victoria, Electra, Etcetera, Plato and Admetus had joined in. Plato and Admetus were cats, and Victoria, Electra and Etcetera were mice. We all had a great time running around the junkyard chasing each other. I was just preparing to pounce on a cornered Electra, who was squealing in mock fright, when I noticed Misto standing on the sidelines watching us. I narrowed my eyes and hissed at him. The rest of the kittens stopped in the game to see what was going to happen.

"What do you want, Misto?" I asked coldly. Misto' ears were pinned flat to his head, and his tail was swishing nervously.

"Er, I just wanted to tell you that you are a really good pouncer." It occurred to me, from the awkward nature of his comment, that Misto wanted to forgive me, and to be forgiven so that we could be friends again. I wasn't ready to give up my grudge yet, though.

"I am aware of that. I don't need someone like you to tell me what I can and can't do." I said, my voice filled with acid. I had expected Misto to look rather rejected at this comment, but instead he hissed at me, and walked off rather angrily. My gut twisted nervously. I began to think that I had pissed off Misto one time too many. I excused myself from the group of whispering kittens, and sat alone in Munkustraps' den. What sort of mess had I gotten myself into?

**Please review! I want to know what you think of the whole 'Pouncing Pouncival' thing. Pouncival is supposed to be one of the youngest kittens in the tribe, so I hope I made him sound kind of like a little kid. **

**Please review! Oh wait, I said that already, didn't I?...**


	17. Foul Play

**I'm sorry! I'm sorry! *ducks to avoid blows from Misto/Calypso fans***

**Making Misto and Calypso break-up was the only thing I could do! After all, what good is a fanfic without angst?**

**In this chapter, Calypso is, flat-out, a cold-hearted b****. Sorry. But I think I'd react the same way too if I was in these circumstances. You'll see what I mean.**

**By the way, I have discovered what I am sure are the three worst misspellings of Mistoffelees_ EVER_ to be written. And what's worse is that all three of them were used in the same sentence! *cringe* Here they are: Misstrofolees, Missroflees and Missstroflees.**

**Doesn't it make you want to cry in pain and agony? It's a crime to the noble name of Mistoffelees!**

**Chapter 17- Foul Play**

After my last insult to Misto, things began to get really tense between us. Misto would glare evilly at me whenever I went anywhere near him. He was planning something, and whatever it was, I knew it wouldn't be good. Misto had never seemed like the spiteful, jealous type, but I guess every cat has their hidden dark side. I spent the next several days worrying what Misto was going to do to me when the time was ripe. Unfortunately for me, Munkustrap thought that I was moping about my break-up again, and kept following me around and telling me to apologise to Misto, and that we were meant for each other and that it was pointless to stay mad. I ignored Munkustrap, which, in hindsight, only made matters worse.

One afternoon, I was sitting alone, plotting ways to get Misto, before he got me, when Munkustrap came up to me.

"Calypso, please come with me." I shook my head.

"No, I'd rather stay here." I didn't mean to be rude, but I wanted to be alone with my thoughts.

"Calypso, I'm only going to ask you once. Get up and come with me." Munkustrap's voice had none of its usual warmth. It made me feel uneasy.

"No." I said a bit more defiantly, my fur standing on end a bit, and my ears flattened down. Munkustrap said nothing in reply, but grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, and dragged me to his den, and threw me inside, quite roughly. Inside, to my surprise, I found Misto, who was being held by Alonzo. Misto was struggling to get free, but Alonzo's grip was too tight. At the appearance of Munkustrap and me, Alonzo freed Misto, who scurried to the corner, glowering at Alonzo and Munkustrap. Munkustrap waved Alonzo out of the room, and glared sternly at Misto and me.

"Now, this has absolutely gone too far. _What_ are you two fighting about? This is ridiculous! You're both avoiding each other like you both carry some deadly disease, and your friends are starting to become divided onto sides! You need to sort this out, and you need to do it now. Neither of you leaves this den until we make some progress. Am I making myself clear?" Misto and I nodded, refusing to make eye contact with each other. "Okay then. Who would like to start?" asked Munkustrap. Neither I nor Misto said a word. "Fine then, I'll start." Munkustrap snapped. "Would either of you care to tell me what has happened that has caused a fight this big?" A twisted smile appeared on Misto's face. I shook my head in horror. So this was what Misto was going to do to me. He was going to tell Munkustrap that I liked him. I could imagine no worse punishment.

"No, Misto, please, no!" I mouthed at Misto, whose smile just widened. He cleared his throat, and I felt as though I was about to die.

"Calypso has not been faithful to me." Munkustrap stared at me in horror. We all knew that cheating on your partner was the worst crime anybody could commit in this tribe. It took Munkustrap several minutes to think of what to say next.

"Calypso, is this true?" I didn't know what to say to Munkustrap. I hadn't exactly cheated on Misto, but I hadn't given Misto my entire heart either. I hadn't been completely true to Misto; I had secretly been in love with Munkustrap all this time. I knew Misto was going to tell Munkustrap the truth anyways, so I nodded my head silently, horror and dread welling up inside of me. Munkustrap's look of shock deepened.

"W-with whom?" He looked utterly aghast at the thought of me cheating on Misto. I couldn't bring myself to say the answer, so I remained silent.

"Well, Calypso, are you going to tell him, or can I have the honour?" sneered Misto. I began to cry. "Oh, you don't want to say? Then I will." Misto turned to Munkustrap. "Calypso secretly lusts after you." Munkustrap looked as though he was about to faint.

"Wha-what? What do you mean? Calypso doesn't love me...she, she loves you, Misto!"

"Oh, Munkus, Munkus, don't be so naive. Have you never noticed the signs? She talks about you in her sleep. You're the reason she's been so miserable. She can't decide between you or me. All these times you thought she was moping about our break-up, she was just moping because she can't have both of us." By this time, I was curled up in a ball on the ground, sobbing, my face burning with shame. Raw hatred was filling up inside of me. A hatred of Misto. The pressure mounted, and mounted, and then suddenly, I burst. I dove on top of Misto with all of the strength in my body. I knocked him out the door. Misto was so shocked by my sudden attack, that I had a few moments to cause some damage to him before he began to retaliate. These pouncing lessons with Demeter had really paid off. Munkustrap was so shocked that he just stood there as Misto and I fought furiously.

Misto slashed at me, hissing. Normally, I would have backed off, for fear of the dangerous look in the conjuring cats' eye, but I was so angry, that I threw caution to the winds, and leapt onto Misto with all the force I could muster. I slashed at him, bit him, did everything I could think of to hurt him. Misto seemed reluctant to fight back. He was always the chivalrous type. He hissed at me many times more, and eventually scratched me quite hard so that I started to bleed. He knocked me off of him, and to the ground. I smashed my face on the hard stone, and blood poured out of my nose and mouth. I threw myself at Misto again, relentless in my attempts to wound him. After a long power struggle, I was on top of him, my paws slashing every part of his face that I could reach. A look of panic bloomed in Misto eyes as he fought for breath. My weight on his chest was making it difficult for Misto to breathe. Then, suddenly, a force more painful than anything I had ever felt hit me square in the chest, and I went flying. I landed on my arm with a sickening crack. Misto had used his powers against me. I reflected that I really had deserved it. After all, I could have seriously hurt Misto. What had I been thinking? I was definitely going to be booted from the tribe now. Why was I so quick to lose my temper all the time? I was pulled from my horrified thoughts of what I had just done, by Munkustrap shaking me, and patting my cheeck.

"Calypso, snap out of it. Can you hear me? Just breathe. It'll be alright. Listen to me. Are you okay?" I suddenly felt the full extent of the excruciation pain in my arm. I rolled over and vomited onto the ground beside me, narrowly missing Munkustrap. I rolled back onto my back, and found myself face to face with Misto. His eyes welled up with tears.

"Oh, Everlasting Cat, Calypso!" He moaned. "Oh, I'm so sorry! What was I thinking? That was such an awful thing for me to do! I shouldn't have done that! I know you can't help how you feel! Oh, I'm such an awful person! Are you okay, Caly?" He looked at my twisted, bleeding arm in horror. "I broke your arm! I shouldn't have used my powers against you! It's not a fair fight! Let me fix your arm! Oh, I feel so bad!" He gently took my arm in his paws, but I twisted away from him.

"Get away from me." I hissed. I turned to flee, but Munkustrap caught me by my good arm.

"Caly, be reasonable. You aren't thinking clearly. You'll bleed to death if you don't get it fixed."

"So let me bleed to death!" I yelled. "I hate you, Misto, I hate you!" ands with that, I wrenched out of Munkustrap's grip and ran. I didn't know where I was going, but I was going somewhere far, far away from Misto, Munkustrap, and the drama and heartache that accompanied the two of them. I collapsed on a heap of trash bags at the far corner of the junkyard. I laid there for a long time, feeling woozy and disoriented. Jennyanydots came over to me, and splinted my broken arm, despite my protests that it was fine. As she forcibly mended my wounds, I heard Munkustrap, Alonzo and Old Deuteronomy having a quiet conversation off to the side, where they thought I couldn't hear.

"Fighting again? Honestly, you'd think she'd get a grip on her temper." Old Deuteronomy sighed.

"She really lost her temper this time, but I have to say, she was sorely provoked by Misto." Said Munkustrap, rubbing his temples.

"No! Misto? That's just not like him! What happened, Munkustrap?" cried Alonzo in hushed tones.

"Calypso secretly likes me. Misto found out, which caused a fight between him and Calypso, and in order to get revenge on her, he told me." Said Munkustrap quietly. I could tell by his tone that he was feeling rather confused himself.

"I think it would be best if we just let this one go." Sighed Old Deuteronomy. "I don't even want to touch this one. I'm too old to be dealing with emotional kittens and their love lives. Neither of them killed the other, so it's safe to assume that no harm was done. I agree with Munkustrap. Misto did sorely provoke Calypso, and although Calypso's reaction was extremely inappropriate, I think let's just let it slide this time."

"Yes sir." Said Alonzo.

"Yes, father." Said Munkustrap. Nobody argued with Old Deuteronomy once he had made up his mind.

Relief welled up inside of me. I wasn't going to be punished! Jennyanydots, and the other three left, and I was alone. I guess they thought I could use some quiet time, which I really could. I lay in a crumpled heap on the ground for some time more, before I forced myself to my feet and tottered across the junkyard. As I came to the main clearing, I found Munkustrap sitting there, waiting for me. When he saw me, he leapt to his feet, and raced to my side, in attempt to help me to his den. I shoved him away.

"Calypso, what are you doing?" Munkustrap looked at me with concern. "You need to lie down, and get some sleep."

"I don't feel comfortable sharing a den with you anymore, Munkustrap." I said in a low, monotonous voice. I was fighting not to cry. I forced myself to look into Munkustrap's soft hazel eyes, and I saw that they were filled with emotion. He quickly blinked it away, however, and I wondered if I had just imagined it.

Munkustrap nodded his head, understandingly. "I guess that's best for now, then. I know how awkward you must feel right now." he said. I tried hard to ignore how very awkward I felt. It was pretty difficult. "You'd better find somebody to stay with then. Perhaps you could ask Tugger. I'm sure he'd be willing to share for a while." I nodded. Munkustrap probably wanted me to stay with Tugger, so that Tugger could keep an eye on me. I was really very prone to getting injured; it happened too frequently. I suppose Munkustrap was concerned that Misto's powers could have done more than break my arm, and he wanted Tugger there to make sure that I didn't die or something. As I turned to go find Tugger, Munkustrap called to me. "Just tell him to _behave_ while you are staying with him, or he'll have to answer to me." I smiled to myself, remembering Demeter's conversation with Tugger and Bombalurina. As I made my way to Tugger's den, to ask if I could share, I ran into Misto, who was sitting in the middle of the ground, for no apparent reason. As I ran into him, he leapt to his feet.

"Calypso, please, you need to listen to me. I'm sorry. I really am. Please stay with me. And please let me fix your arm. I love you, and I always will." He pulled me into an embrace, but I shoved him away from me.

"Get off of me, Misto. Let me make myself perfectly clear. It. Is. Over. Leave me alone. I don't love you anymore, and I never will again. You hurt me deeply and I don't know if I can ever forgive you for what you did to me. There was a time when I thought you were the one, but I was wrong. Goodbye." And with that, I sidestepped Misto, and left him standing alone in the middle of the junkyard, his heart just as crushed as mine was.

**Review! Pretty pretty please? **

**I'll send Mr. Mistoffelees gift-wrapped with a bow on his head to the best reviewer! =^_^=**


	18. Of Catnip and Compromise

**Please pardon these next two incredably short chapters. Basically nothing happens in them, but if I combined the two, the chapter would be ridiculously long. **

**This chapter contains references to drugs and alcohol, although in the Jellicle tribe, Catnip is totally legal. So, yeah...**

**Chapter 18- Of Catnip and Compromise**

I knocked on Tuggers door softly, and somewhat gingerly.

"Tugger? Bomba? You guys there?" All I heard was a grunt in reply. I nudged the door open, and peered inside. Tugger was laying face-down on his bed, half-asleep. He looked like death warmed over.

"Oh, Tugger, are you okay?"

"Grunt."

"What happened?"

"Grunt."

"Are you even awake?"

"Grunt."

"Are you even alive?"

"Grunt. Grunt."

"I'll take that as a yes." I sniffed the air. It was thick with the scent of hard liquor. "Have you been drinking?" I asked suspiciously.

"Noooo..."

"Liar."

"Okay, well maybe..."

"Ha! I knew it!"

"Go away."

"No. I wanted to ask you a question."

"Go away. I'm trying to sleep."

"I just wanted to ask you if..."

"Go away. I need some sleep." Tugger lifted his head blearily. His eyes were bloodshot, pupils dilated. Suddenly, it dawned on me.

"Ha!" I laughed wickedly. "I know what's happened to you! You're high on catnip!" I grinned.

"So what?" moaned Tugger. "It's not like it's illegal." His head flopped back down onto the bed, and he groaned again.

"You'd better not let Old Deuteronomy see you like this, though. You know he doesn't like it when you're all goofy on catgrass, even if it is within the rules of the tribe."

"Oh, Cal, don't tell him, okay? Old D's already mad at me because I forgot to patrol when it was my turn, and one of Macavity's henchcats snuck in, and was poking around. We think Macavity is planning a raid, and his henchcat was gathering information for him. Luckily, Coricopat realized that I wasn't on post, and decided to cover for me. Coricopat caught the intruder just minutes after he got into the junkyard, and Coricopat chased him out again. Man, Coricopat may look docile, but can pack a punch when he wants to. Anyways, Old D was furious when he found out that I wasn't on guard. He threatened to disown me, and kick me out of the tribe if I was ever careless again. So, basically, what I'm trying to say is, I'll get booted from the tribe if Old D finds out that I was goofing off, so tell him, and I'll bite your tail off. Got it?"

"Ouch, Tugger, no need to be so hostile. I'll tell you what. You do a favour for me, and I'll keep my mouth shut about how incredibly stoned you are right now. Have we got a deal?" Tugger sighed.

"Fine, fine, what do you want?"

"I need a place to stay for a while."

"That's it? I was expecting you to ask something that would actually require me to get up from my bed, which I don't want to do, because I am sleeping, and I am lazy, and because really just don't want to. Oh wait, did I say that already?" Tugger pondered for a moment. "Nah, you staying here is fine. Be my guest. But one question, why aren't you staying with Misto?"

"Uh, Tugger, we broke up weeks ago..."

"Oh, yeah, that's right, I'd forgotten."

"I wonder why?" I muttered sarcastically under my breath. Tugger didn't notice.

"Well, then, why aren't you staying with Munkus?"

"Erm..." I racked my brain for an excuse to tell Tugger. "I, uh, felt like I was intruding on Munkustrap's and Demeter's private time, so I thought that I'd leave them alone for a few days."

"And intrude on my privacy? How very thoughtful of you." Groaned Tugger bitterly.

"Well, I could stay somewhere else, but then I'd have to tell Old D that you're high right now..." I said rather enticingly.

"No, no! Stay here. I don't mind! Really, I don't." said Tugger, looking panicked.

"That's what I thought." I smiled sweetly. "Oh, by the way, Munkustrap says that you'd better behave yourself, or..."

"I'll have to answer to him. I know, I know, he tells me that at least once a week. I've heard it about a million times." He grinned sleepily. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'll be going now. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, sure, I'll see you later, Callisto."

"Er, my name is Calypso."

"Huh, oh yeah, I totally knew that..." Tugger looked up at me briefly, before his head flopped back on the bed. He was asleep before his head had even touched the blankets.

"Very strange..." I thought to myself, as I let myself out of Tuggers den.

**Review please! =^_^=**


	19. Things That Go Bump in the Night

**Okay, this is part two of the two extra short mini-chapters. Very pointless, but kind of fun to write. Also kind of weird, but again, fun to write.**

**This chapter contains mild sexual themes. (JJ and Enspirit, please don't freak out! I changed the chapter from what I was originally going to write, to something more G rated.)**

**In this chapter, though I forgot to mention it, Tugger is still stoned on Catnip. So, yeah...**

**Chapter 19- Things That Go Bump in the Night**

I rolled over on the cold floor, trying to shift into a more comfortable position. Tugger and Bombalurina were hogging the only blanket in the den, and although there would have been room for three, I had two very good reasons to be on the floor instead. First of all, Tugger and Bombalurina both liked to sprawl when they slept, and had I been on the blanket, I would have had a very unpleasant night of being kicked every time one of them rolled over or shifted. My second reason was, well you can imagine. Suffice to say that it was the same reason that Demeter didn't want to share a den with them anymore.

My body was still sore from my massive fight with Misto earlier that day, and sleeping on the floor was only exacerbating my pain. Not to mention, some of the kittens had snuck out of bed, and were creeping around the central clearing of the junkyard, giggling, and keeping me awake. Or were those even kittens? The giggling certainly sounded closer than the central clearing.

"No, Calypso, you're dreaming. You're just imagining it. Don't be silly, just go back to sleep." I told myself firmly. "It's not what you think it is."

But it was. Tugger and Bombalurina were giggling. And whispering. And...

"EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I leapt to my feet screaming. Tugger and Bombalurina looked up from their make-out session, startled.

"Oh, um, Calypso, we, uh, didn't know you were awake..." said Bombalurina, blushing. I shuddered.

"Come on, guys! That's disgusting! You're making out while I'm trying to sleep in the same room! Honestly, now I know why Demeter doesn't want to stay with you!" Tugger and Bombalurina simply shrugged, and continued making out. I turned and fled their den. I ran screaming all the way across the junkyard, barged into Munkustrap's den without knocking, and dove underneath the covers between Demeter and Munkustrap, shaking. Both of them sat up, looking at me with much surprise.

"Calypso, what's wrong? Are you okay?" asked Munkustrap, putting a concerned paw on my shoulder.

"Tugger...Bomba....ewwwwwww..." was all I could say. I was half laughing, and half crying at the same time. Munkustrap and Demeter both rolled their eyes.

"Let me guess, midnight make-out session?" asked Demeter, sounding as though she had been through this a million times. I nodded, and Demeter shook her head, disgusted. "I know how you feel. I had to suffer through that pretty much every night."

"I'll 'have a chat' with Tugger and Bombalurina tomorrow." Promised Munkustrap. I nodded quietly, trying to erase the image of Tugger and Bombalurina making out from my mind. I turned to leave, but Munkustrap caught me gently by the tail and pulled me back into the den. "Where are you going? Surely you don't _want_ to stay with Tugger?"

"Well no, but I thought I'd just, you know, sleep outside or something..." I said vaguely.

"No!" exclaimed Munkustrap. "Under normal circumstances I'd have said no, but when Macavity's on the prowl, most definitely not! Just stay here for tonight."

"But Munkustrap..."

"Don't argue. We don't mind. In fact, we rather enjoy having you here. You keep us company." He smiled, a bit sternly, and pulled me back onto the blanket. I sighed, and lay down between Munkustrap and Demeter. As I drifted away into my dreams, I thought to myself,

"Well, better here with Munkus and Demi, than with the horny sex-fiend and his insatiable mistress. What was I thinking, asking Tugger to stay with him?"

**Hmm...what _does_ go bump in the night, I wonder? **

**Oh yeah, it's the blows to the back of my head from angry Misto/Calypso fans who don't care about Tugger, and want me to hurry up and write some more of the Misto/Calypso relationship. *ouch, that hurts***

**Sorry guys, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out more about Misto and Caly. But it's not like you can't wait a measly 24 hours... Please review anyways! Tell me what you think of Tugger!**


	20. The Torment and 'The Talk'

**Wow! Chapter 20! This is a cause for celebration! I never thought that I'd make it this far, and of course I owe most of it to you, my faithful readers! ^_^**

**This chapter is comprised of two almost-but-not-quite full chapters put together. The two events are not really related, and the first one wasn't even in my story outline, but I wrote it anyways, because I'm sure you're all itching to see Jerrie and Teazer piss of Tugger again. I just love epic battles...they're so...epic.**

**I know I promised that this one would be up the day after my last one, but I got sidetracked on a tangent one-shot for Enspirit's birthday. It's called _Will you light my candle? No._ It's just a stupid Cats meets Rent gone wrong. Okay, I'll shut up about that now, because you probably don't care. ^_^**

**Warning to all Tuggers fans: In this chapter, TUGGER GETS OWNED. Sucker... ;)**

**Chapter 20- The Torment and 'The Talk'**

I woke the next morning, a bit disoriented as to where I was. After all, I had been switching dens quite frequently. I shook myself awake, and looked around. I was sandwiched between Munkustrap and Demeter, both of whom were still asleep. I pried myself free from between them, and snuck out, as quietly as possible, so I wouldn't wake them. I wandered around the junkyard alone for sometime, thinking about all sorts of things. My top priority was finding a new den to share. I felt really awkward about the whole Munkustrap-Misto situation, and my view on it was that if I ignored it, it would simply go away. After wandering around for a while, I decided to see what Jerrie and Teazer were up to. They were early risers, up at the crack of dawn every day. I found the pair lurking behind the old tyre, whispering about something. They looked up, and their faces broke into cheery grins when they saw me.

"G'mornin' Calypso!" shouted Rumpleteazer cheerily. "Whacha up so early for? You're a sleepyhead. You don't get up 'til noon most days!"

"Er...I had a bad sleep." I lied. "So, what are you two up to, today?" I asked.

"We was jus'...er, nothin'. Never mind. You don't wanna know, believe me." Said Mungojerrie, evasively.

"Oh, come on!" I pleaded. "I'm bored. I want to do something fun, mischievous, or just whatever you have planned. Also, I'd like a little help getting revenge on a certain Maine Coone..." Jerrie and Teazer exchanged glances, grinning broadly.

"Oh, our Calypso's got a bit of an evil streak in 'er, now does she?" asked Teazer slyly.

"Well, I think we can 'elp 'er out a bit, Teazer, doncha think?"

"Oh, I bet we can. Come 'ere Caly. We got a Tugger raid already planned, now see." Rumpleteazer showed me a map of the junkyard, with Tugger's location marked in red pen. "This is where we are, and this is where Tugger is. We're gonna get 'em good today." Jerrie and Teazer proceeded to tell me the extensive details of the Tugger raid. I thought it sounded like good fun. I was _so_ going to get payback on Tugger for the traumatic experience I had suffered through last night.

A half an hour later, we were in our places, poised and ready to attack. The rest of the cats were still sleeping, so there would be minimal interference with our plans. One of the best parts of this raid was that Jerrie and Teazer rarely got into trouble for tormenting Tugger anymore, unless they physically hurt him, which wasn't often. The older cats had given up on punishing the pair, because it never had any effect. Jerrie and Teazer had assured me that I wouldn't get into trouble either, or if I did, that they would take full responsibility for it. We hid, ready outside of Tugger's den. We waited until we saw Bombalurina exit. Bombalurina being gone from the den was crucial to our plans, because we didn't want to accidentally get her involved. Had Tugger left the den first, we were simply going to revert to Plan B: kidnap Tugger, and resume Plan A back in Jerrie and Teazers' den. After Bombalurina was gone, we crept into Tugger's den, locking the door firmly behind us. Carefully, Jerrie tied Tugger up, slowly so as not to wake him. Next, Jerrie gagged Tugger, and Rumpleteazer slapped Tugger several times across the face, until he was awake. It took a considerable number of slaps to wake Tugger. I guess he really enjoyed his beauty sleep. That, or he was just tired out from staying up late last night. When he woke up and saw the three of us standing over him, he panicked, and tried to get away, but he was tied up so firmly that all he could do was lay there helpless and vulnerable. Once he was awake, Teazer and I proceed to shove Tugger into a human miniskirt, and tank top. I applied excessive makeup to Tugger's face, while Teazer gave Tugger a perm, and then dyed his mane bleach-blonde. After out handiwork was finished, we untied Tugger. The unfortunate Tugger backed into a corner, cowering and humiliated.

"Now Tugger, what we want you to do is pose for a little photo shoot we're gonna put on." Said Jerrie, smiling sweetly. Tugger had no choice but to obey. Tugger posed for glamour shots, while Teazer took photos with a camera that she had pilfered from her humans. We all laughed our heads off, before tying Tugger up again. Teazer and I put Tugger's mane right, washed off all the makeup, and removed the human clothes from Tugger. Then, the three of us pelted water balloons at Tugger until we ran out. It took a while, because Jerrie had a sizeable stash hidden in his den.

"Why? Why?" moaned Tugger from behind the cloth we had stuffed in his mouth to shut him up. "What did I do to deserve this torment?"

"You grossed me out last night, and I'm not going to forgive you, until you are fully punished." I said triumphantly, whipping a particularly full water balloon at Tugger's head. It hit him square in the forehead. Tugger winced.

"Oh, I grossed you out? Well I guess I sort of deserve this then..." said Tugger miserably. He knew that if he just went along with it, then it would be easier for all of us. After all, Jerrie and Teazer had taken to tying up Tugger at least once a week, to mangle his mane, pelt water balloons at him, or just generally make him miserable. Tugger usually just went with it, because it gave him an opportunity to throw a fit, and attempt to murder Jerrie and Teazer later on, after they had finished with him. In the eyes of the tribe elders, it was a win-win situation for everybody. So, unless the notorious pair did something really bad, everybody overlooked what was going on.

For the last part of the Tugger raid, Jerrie, Teazer and I went around the junkyard, waking up every queen who was even slightly interested in Tugger, and informing them that the ladies tom was currently up for grabs. There was a violent stampede to Tuggers den. Poor Tugger, bound and gagged was dragged out moments later, and tied to a light post in the junkyard. The queens were all over him, trying to get a little piece of Tugger. While the queens were playing tug o' war with Tugger's arms, Jerrie, Teazer and I went around to the rest of the Jellicles, distributing the photos of Tugger at his photo shoot. Pretty soon, every cat was in the clearing with Tugger. The queens were all gathered around their idol, and the toms, plus the queens who really didn't care about Tugger, were off to the sidelines gossiping about Tugger's 'glamour shots', and laughing at him as he struggled for escape, tied tightly to his pole. Bustopher Jones stood alongside Skimbleshanks, laughing heartily at poor Tuggers distress. Jennyanydots and Jellylorum were snickering about how 'Tugger finally got what was coming to him.' Munkustrap and Alonzo were standing off to the side, not taking any action to free Tugger, but ready to break up the crowd if things got really nasty. After about ten minutes of Tugger-glomping, Munkustrap broke up the crowd, and untied Tugger. Tugger made a beeline for Jerrie, Teazer and I. He stopped in front of me, and said,

"I guess I kind of deserved that, huh. Well, I know I shouldn't have, well, you know, with Bombalurina while you were there. You're just a kit, so I guess maybe that was a bit inappropriate. So, no hard feelings?"

"Naw, no hard feelings." I said, and Tugger gave me an affectionate hug, before stepping around me to confront Jerrie and Teazer. I don't exactly know what happened next, because it happened in a matter of seconds, but suddenly Tugger was roaring furiously, and Jerrie and Teazer had run away, cackling loudly. I watched the chase for several minutes. It was quite amusing to watch Tugger try to kill the duo. Jerrie and Teazer were much faster than Tugger, so it was a very one-sided battle. After several minutes, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find Munkustrap sitting behind me.

"Oh, hi Munkus!" I said in a falsely cheery voice, and attempted to leave, but Munkustrap had a firm grip on my shoulder. "Erm, did you want something?" I asked tentatively.

"Calypso, I think it's time we had a little chat." Said Munkustrap gently.

"Uh, about what?" as I spoke, my voice began to rise in pitch, as it did when I was nervous or uncomfortable.

"Relax, Calypso." smiled Munkustrap, putting an arm around my shoulder. I shrugged it off again, and backed away.

"What do you want?" I asked again.

"Look, Calypso. It's nothing bad. I just thought that it was time that you heard about 'the birds and the bees'." Said Munkustrap gently.

"Uh, no thanks, I'm okay actually, I don't need to hear about that, I'm good for now. Maybe some other day." I stammered, backing away. Munkustrap caught my arm and stopped me in my tracks.

"No, Calypso." He said softly. "It's nothing to feel frightened or uncomfortable about. There's just some things you need to know about, that's all. I know that there's some tension between us, and I think that this talk will resolve some of that. I know you're feeling pretty awkward right now, and I completely understand. There was a time when I felt like that too. But you need to talk about it." I struggled to get out of Munkustrap's grasp, but he was too strong. Firmly, but gently, Munkustrap led me to his den, and took me inside.

I won't go so far as to tell the majority of what passed between Munkustrap and I, but suffice to say that it was the most awkward and embarrassing two hours of my life. Basically, Munkustrap was letting me know that my feeling towards him were perfectly natural, and that I shouldn't be embarrassed or ashamed. I really wish he hadn't worded it like that, because it made me feel young and stupid, and really uncomfortable. Things felt just a little too open now, and as I followed Munkustrap out of his den, I was feeling extremely nauseous. Munkustrap, noticing that I didn't look so well, forced me to sit down for several minutes, instructing me to breathe deeply. I was pretty sure that breathing deeply wasn't doing much for my queasiness, but it did relax me a bit.

"You don't look well, Calypso." Remarked Munkustrap, as I struggled to not throw up. "You seem really tense, and you look as though you're about to faint."

"I wonder why." I muttered darkly. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the talk we just had, now would it?" Munkustrap either didn't pick up on the sarcasm, or chose to ignore it. I sat in silence for several minutes while I tried to force my brain to forget everything I had just heard from Munkustrap. Munkustrap tried to talk to me again, after a few minutes of silence.

"Calypso, you look really bent out of shape. What's wrong?"

"Honestly, can't you figure that one out?" I asked, extremely irritated.

"Look, Calypso, I only wanted to have a talk with you because I really felt that it was necessary. I didn't realise that it would upset you so much. My intent was not to make you feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, I wanted to make you feel _more_ comfortable." Munkustrap tried to keep the exasperation out of his voice, but I picked up on it anyways. "Look, you should lie down." Munkustrap said softly. I silently agreed, but said nothing. I had no idea how Munkustrap had done it, but he had managed to make me feel so awkward and tense that I had actually gotten physically sick. Try working that one out. I can't think of any other cat who would be able to do that.

Munkustrap tried to lead me back into his den, to lie down, but I resisted.

"I don't want to stay with you anymore, Munkustrap." I said quietly. I had expected Munkustrap to look a bit offended, but instead he nodded understandingly and said,

"I know how you feel, and I accept that. I didn't want to make you feel so bad, and for that, I am truly sorry. Would you like some help in finding a new place to stay?" I nodded.

"I'd like that." Munkustrap pulled me into a warm embrace. That one simple hug said everything. It meant, 'Calypso, I love you like you are family, and I'll always be here for

you, no matter what'. Munkustrap had no need to put that into words. The embrace said it all.

**Ugh...'the talk'...poor Calypso. I think I'd faint too. Munkustrap can be a little too paternal sometimes. ^_^**

**Review please!**


	21. A Changing of Opinions

**I'm back!**

**This chapter mainly discusses Calypso's confused and somewhat irrational feelings. Kind of boring, I know, but some 'stuff' happens at the end. You'll like it! I promise!**

**I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but you know, school, stuff, more stuff, etc. You get the point.**

**Chapter 21- A Changing of Opinions**

I was very subdued for the rest of the day, after Munkustrap gave me 'the talk'. We didn't speak to each other as we searched for a new den for me. Munkustrap did most of the talking and negotiating with the other cats, but most of the cats didn't want to share their dens anyways. Many of the dens were housing two or more cats, which could be pretty crowded at times. By mid-afternoon, I was just about ready to give up, and resign myself to a fate of staying with Munkustrap, and therefore feeling awkward all the time. That was when Munkustrap suggested someone with whom I could stay.

"How about you stay with Mistoffelees?" the suggestion sounded innocent enough, but I knew what Munkustrap was really getting at. He wanted me to get back together with Misto.

"No way! Absolutely not!"

"Well, Calypso," sighed Munkustrap exasperatedly, "you've tried every other cat in this junkyard. It's either Misto or I, at this point. So, who's it going to be?"

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. "I'll stay with Misto, no you, no Misto..." I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Um... Misto. Yes, I'll stay with Misto." I caught a hint of a smile on Munkustrap's face, and I glared at him. I hoped he would stop interfering with my love life soon. It was getting on my nerves.

I really wasn't that keen on staying with Misto, because I was still feeling guilty. When we arrived at Misto's den, I stood behind Munkustrap, sulking, as he asked Misto if he would mind sharing with me.

"I'd love to share!" Misto exclaimed, pulling me out from behind Munkustrap. "Calypso, I really have wanted to talk to you, and now finally you're giving me the chance! Oh, Caly, I've missed you so much! I never meant to hurt you, and I want you to take me back. I love you more than you can fathom, and I want to be with you forever." said Misto, in one breath. I stood sullenly, trapped in Misto's embrace, while Munkustrap smirked at me from the side. I mouthed,

"Go away." at Munkustrap, and he winked at me in a very un-Munkustrapish way, before heading around the corner and out of sight. Misto continued to babble at me about how much he loved me. I tried hard not to listen. I didn't want to get back together with Misto. Well, I sort of did, but I refused to admit it to myself. After Misto had proclaimed his love to me for about ten minutes, I pulled away from him. I gazed into his soft brown eyes, and he fell silent. I thought hard about how to phrase what I wanted to say. I didn't want to sound awful and cruel, because that didn't work out so well last time. But I still wanted to make myself perfectly clear to Misto.

"Misto, I'm sorry. I really don't love you anymore. I don't know how to say it so that you will understand, but I don't want to be with you anymore." So many buried emotions surfaced then, and I bit back sharp tears. Misto gazed at me, so sad, so broken, so hurt.

"I understand, Calypso. But remember that I will always love you, no matter what." He kissed me gently on the cheek. That small kiss made me feel so guilty that I left his den immediately, and didn't return until late that night. When I finally returned, I went to sleep on the floor, despite Misto's multiple offers for me to share his blankets. I tried not to think about Misto, but he kept drifting into my thoughts. I knew deep down inside that I still loved Misto, but I was so embarrassed about the whole Munkustrap situation that I couldn't bear to be with Misto anymore. I smiled sadly to myself, recalling that night, so long ago, when I overheard Misto talking to Munkustrap about how wilful I was.

"_I agree, Munkus. She's probably a bit stubborn too. I suspect you'll have a hard time squeezing an acceptable apology out of her tomorrow. But I stand by what I said before. With a bit of work, she may learn to live in this tribe. She just needs time."_

I tried not to cry, as I remembered how Misto and Munkustrap had fought for me to stay in the tribe, when I really hadn't deserved it. I knew in my heart that the right thing to do would be to take Misto back. I no longer lusted for Munkustrap. The 'talk' I had had with him had effectively crushed all of the fantasies I had ever dreamed up. He was too much of a father now. I really wanted to take Misto back, but that would mean addressing my crush on Munkustrap, which I didn't want to do. I had really gotten myself into a mess, and I couldn't bring myself to do the one thing that would fix this all. I ended up crying myself to sleep.

The next morning, I awoke very suddenly. It took me a moment to figure out what had woken me. It was Misto, standing over me, holding my broken arm, which was glowing with his magical blue light. I tried to pull my arm out of Misto's grasp, but his grip was too strong.

"What are you doing? I said to leave my arm alone!"

"I'm sorry, Caly. I just felt so bad about hurting you that I wanted to fix your arm." He looked so dejected, that I leaned over and nuzzled him softly.

"It's okay, Misto. I'm sorry I overreacted. You just startled me, that's all." Misto smiled, although he still looked rather forlorn.

I spent the rest of the day with Misto, but as a friend. I saw him as a completely different cat now. Things were sort of tense and awkward between us now, and I knew it was entirely my fault. The days passed, and it became easier for me to talk to Misto as a friend, and not as an ex-tom-friend. Misto seemed to have finally accepted that I no longer loved him. I was still in denial about loving Misto, but I suppressed it enough to get through each day. Things were finally seeming to be back to normal, when one morning the turmoil resurfaced.

It happened when I was out walking by myself. Misto was supposed to meet me earlier that day, to go hunting together, but he never showed. I had thought that he had forgotten or something, and I wasn't terribly bothered by it. I myself could be quite forgetful at times. But as I walked by myself, I heard sounds coming from a narrow side clearing at the far end of the junkyard. I peered inside, and saw in horror that Misto was kissing...Cassandra? I backed away from the pair of them, revulsion building up in me. I had tried so hard to convince myself that I no longer loved Misto, and that we were now nothing but 'just friends'. But I had lost my chance, and now he had a new queen friend. As suddenly as it had appeared, my sadness disappeared, to be replaced by fury. Misto was _mine_. I had been so stupid, telling him that I didn't love him. Well, I did, and I finally realised it. I needed to win Misto back, and I was prepared to go to any lengths to do it.

"I'm going to make him so jealous that he'll _have_ to take me back!" I growled to myself, as I stalked away from the side clearing. If Misto didn't want me anymore, then I was going to force him to realise that I was the one for him.

I muttered darkly to myself as I began to lay out my plan of attack. "This means war."

**See? I wasn't going to keep them apart forever, although there will be many more 'events', for lack of a better word, before Calypso and Misto get back together. So, there is no more need to send me hate-mail saying that I need to put them back together 'or else'. ^_^**

**Review!**


	22. False Pretences

***Runs in with stack of IB homework* I'M SOOO SORRY GUYS! It's been forever, or at least, it seems like it. ^_^**

**Well, this story has gone to the dogs. It's mushy, and I think Calypso's in immediate danger of morphing into a Mary-Sue. :( It's also cheesy (3 JJ) and the plot is starting to make no sense. In short, I ask you to bear with me through the mushiest part of the struggling love pentagon. (Yes, there is such a thing...I invented it.) My explanation for why all of my characters are doing stupid things is that their minds are all fogged over with love. Yes, I think that should suffice. **

**Anyways, I think I may have changed the way Caly speaks in this chapter. I've been watching a lot of sitcoms recently, so I think that may have soemthing to do with it. If you think I'm not keeping Caly true to her character, please let me know so that I can fix it. ^_^**

**Chapter 22- False Pretences**

I spent the next several weeks plotting how best to win Misto back. He now seemed to be perfectly content with Cassandra, but I knew that I was the better match for Misto. Cassandra seemed all too aware of the fact that I wanted Misto back, and was rubbing it in my face with all her might, that she could have what I couldn't. Every time she caught sight of me walking alone, she would take the opportunity to loudly comment about how lonely I must be, all by myself. That or she would simply smirk nastily at me. Unbeknownst to Munkustrap, I was no longer staying with Misto. Cassandra was simply making life unbearable, and I got sick of the snide comments and left. I think Victoria might have put her up to it, because Victoria had been acting very cold and distant to me as well. Perhaps I deserved it. After all, I had broken her brother's heart.

After moving out of Misto's den, I moved in with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, after forcing them to swear that they wouldn't breathe a word to Munkustrap, who was keeping a careful eye on me nowadays. Apparently he was afraid that I was going to do something stupid. Which I was. It took me a long time, but I finally formulated the perfect plan to win back Misto's affections. I just needed to make him jealous. All I needed was another tom to fool around with until Misto realized that I was the one for him. If only I hadn't already spurned him, this would have been a lot easier.

It didn't take me too long to make and narrow down a list of potential toms to ask out. It had to be a tom near Misto's age, who could be considered a threat by Misto and was nice in the most sincere way. There were only two who fit all of the criteria. Admetus and Plato. I toyed with the notion of asking Admetus because he was the better looking of the two, but he was also a gentleman, very chivalrous and polite. He liked to take his time getting to know a queen, which wasn't what I needed. I needed a tom who would get to know me quickly so that I could prove even more quickly to Misto what he was missing. For that reason, I eventually settled on Plato. Plato usually said yes to any queen who asked him out, and there had been quite a few. He never caused the eventual break-ups, though. His queen-friends usually left him for Tugger.

It took me a while to get up the courage to ask Plato out. It's harder to ask out somebody that you're not particularly interested in, rather than somebody you really like. By the time I had resolved to actually do it, Misto and Cassandra had been going out for three weeks. My window of opportunity was closing fast, and I needed to do something. I seized my opportunity to talk to Plato one chilly afternoon, as he sat alone on a three legged stool near the edge of the junkyard. He was huddled up, to protect himself from the harsh wind. I sidled up beside Plato, sitting down next to him.

"Oh, hi Calypso." He said when he saw me. His voice was soft, relaxed. I could tell he was in a vulnerable mood. This was the perfect time to strike.

"Um, what's up Plato?" I asked, trying my best to sound casual and innocent.

"Hmm... not too much. Vikki dumped me..._again._ You'd think she'd figure out that Tugger doesn't want to go out with her, but she just won't learn." Plato sighed. "Perhaps I'd better find another queen-friend, one who isn't so fickle." I felt a little bit guilty that I was about to use Plato to get to Misto, and then dump him, but I pushed the feeling aside and said,

"You know, Plato..." I put a paw on his shoulder. "I...I've always liked you." Plato raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Really? But...what about Misto?"

"Oh, I've fooled around with Misto, but he wasn't really who I wanted to be with. Yes, he was nice and everything, but he just wasn't _right_ for me. I just always thought that you liked Victoria more than you could ever like me, so I just stood back." My insides squirmed with guilt, as Plato looked genuinely and pleasantly surprised. I was just glad that he was falling for my lies. It was really hard for me to stand here and lie about who I was truly in love with.

"I don't care for Vikki that much." Sighed Plato. "I mean, she's great, and funny, and nice and all, but she's always drooling over the tom-de-jour, which is usually Tugger. If we ever became mates, I bet she'd cheat on me." He said glumly.

"I wouldn't cheat on you." I breathed softly into his fur. His ears twitched, and his tail flicked. I backed off a bit, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. Finally he turned to me and said,

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes. I...really like you, Plato." I fought to not choke on my words. I distinctly remembered having this same conversation with Misto so many weeks ago. And at that time, when I said those three fateful words, 'I love you', I had truly meant them with all of my heart. I would have lost my nerve to do what I was about to do, had Plato not leaned over and nuzzled me.

"I think I like you too."

Those few simple words changed everything after that. Word quickly spread around the junkyard that I was going out with Plato. This news seemed to have no effect on Misto, who was acting as though we had never gone out. Munkustrap, however, was watching my every move with suspicion, obviously not trusting my sudden change in heart. With good reason too, I suppose. I didn't trust me either. It was hard work keeping up the charade of being Plato's queen-friend. Poor Plato was oblivious to the fact that I was messing around with him to get at Misto. It made me feel terribly guilty that eventually, I would have to tell Plato why I had _really_ asked him out, which would crush him. He was so sweet, after all. This hole was getting deeper and deeper, and I feared I would not be able to dig myself out again. The weeks wore on, and still Misto had paid no notice to me. Could he really and truly be over me? The very thought chilled me to the core. My one and only true love no longer loved me back. It was my own entire fault, being so stupid about forgiving Misto. I had really blown it this time. Nonetheless, I stayed with Plato. Partially because I felt so guilty about asking him out under false pretences, and also because I had no other ideas about how to get Misto back, short of marching up to him, and telling him that I was the biggest idiot ever to live, and will he please take me back. That was something which I really wanted to avoid doing, for very obvious reasons.

Eventually, Cassandra let it spill to Munkustrap that I was now rooming with Jerrie and Teazer. This new tidbit of information prompted Munkustrap to haul me off to his den for another chat. I sat in the corner of the den, watching Munkustrap as he paced back and forth in front of me, arms crossed, looking both exasperated and angry.

"So..." he began. " I hear you're no longer staying with Misto. Why?" his tone was short.

"Umm..." I said, hoping that it qualified as an answer. Apparently, it did not. Munkustrap glared at me, and I hastened to finish my sentence. "Cassandra was being mean." I muttered under my breath. Munkustrap rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I'll deal with that one later. I have a more important issue to discuss with you."

"What would that be?" I asked innocently, knowing very well what it was.

"I see you've been going out with Plato for several weeks now. I'm glad to see you're not moping, but I do wonder if you legitimately like Plato, or if you're just trying to screw with Misto, and get inside of his head." Said Munkustrap, still pacing.

"N...no..." I stammered quietly. Munkustrap had me cornered; he knew my dirty little secret. Munkustrap smiled sweetly at me.

"Hmm...really? Then let's find out how well you know Plato. When is Plato's birthday?"

"Umm..."

"What is his favourite colour?"

"Er..."

"Who is Plato's best friend?"

"Uh..."

"Oh yes, you do truly love Plato. Why didn't I see it before?" said Munkustrap sarcastically. "Look, Calypso. I can read you like a book. I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to make Misto jealous. Well, I can tell you one thing right now. It won't work. It will just end in heartbreak for you, Misto and poor Plato, who you've dragged into all of this. My suggestion now is that you stop this all. Just go talk to Misto. If he rejects you, well then that's his prerogative. You had your chance, and you blew it. I'm sick of all the turmoil you seem to cause in this junkyard. You are breaking up good, solid friendships between the kittens, and you will later regret it if you don't fix this now. Please, please stop causing such drama and strife. It's driving the rest of us nuts."

I knew that everything that Munkustrap had just told me was true. I nodded quietly in response to what he had just told me, before letting myself out of his den. I needed to talk to Misto, and I needed to find some way to break up with Plato, without breaking his heart. That one would be tough. He really seemed to like me. I exited Munkustrap's den with the intent of going to speak with Misto, but as I stepped outside into the cool night air, I stopped in my tracks, unable to believe the sight that lay before my eyes.

**Ooh! What's happened now, I wonder? ^_^ Hehehe...**

**Please review!**


	23. An Angry Flight

**ACK! I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry!!!!!!!!!! I've been so sidetracked with my new favorite obsession (Hannibal Lecter 3) and then the Christmas holidays sprang upon me, so I sat around and did nothing, and then suddenly there were all these exams to be done! Anyways, exams are finished now.**

**Please accept this short chapter as a form of apology, and I am currently working on the next chapter. I'll try to have it up by the end of the day. **

**I hope that I still have faithful readers, and that you haven't abandoned me because I haven't updated in over a month...**

**Now, the plot thickens...**

**Chapter 23- An Angry Flight**

Plato and Victoria stood in the centre of the clearing, embracing, and making-out. I couldn't do anything but stand and stare. Eventually I found my voice.

"Plato…w-what are you doing?" Okay, so I didn't exactly love Plato, but I still didn't like be deceived, even though I myself had a tendency to deceive others.

"Calypso, I'm so sorry, look…I can explain…" stammered Plato.

"Explain what?!" I yelled. "I can see exactly what you're up to!" Although I was furious with Plato, at least he was out of the picture now. But still, I hated it when my plans backfired.

"Plato, you're a Pollicle frolicker!" I screamed. Plato looked hopelessly at me, knowing that trying to explain would be futile. At this point, Victoria sauntered up to me, sleekly smiling in a rather silky, oily way.

"Calypso, you know that awful betrayed feeling in the pit of your stomach?" Her voice turned cold. "Now you know how my brother feels!" I hissed, turned on my heel and fled. I didn't know where I was going, but I was going far away from this junkyard. Oh, how I hated them all.

"I don't belong." I muttered to myself under my breath as I raced out of the junkyard, and through the grimy streets of London.

**Hehehe...Sorry this was so short. I felt the need to post SOMETHING, so I'll get something longer up soon. I'll also try not to leave you hanging for a month, while you're all ripping out your hair in frustration, trying to figure out what Caly saw. That was kind of mean of me... ^_^**

**Review, faithful readers, if any of you are left. Once again, I'M SO SORRY!!!!**


	24. In The Alleyway

***Shudder* Ah, so short. But it was just the right place to end it off. I have totally changed my M/O for this story. I'm going to end it in a totally different way than I planned. I have now decided that Calypso is an idot who can't make up her mind. (Much like me.) This story has gone to shambles. It is now a random drabble about nothing in particular. Are we ever going to get to a good part? I doubt it. Ah well. The ride has been fun!**

**Chapter 24- In The Alleyway**

I know that it is really, really stupid to run off into London in the middle of the night when you're all alone, but I didn't want to be a Jellicle anymore. I hated that junkyard, and I hated all of the cats inside of it. I spent the night seething inside of an overturned garbage can. Why was I so useless? I ran away from home, to this strange junkyard, and screwed up the lives of all the cats in it. I kept getting in trouble, I was too stubborn to just say sorry to Misto, and I was probably driving Munkustrap to an early grave, what with all my fighting and adolescent whining.

The next morning, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer found me, moping around a dingy alleyway.

"Look, Caly," Jerrie pleaded. "We all want ya back, an' we miss ya. Please come home with us, an' we'll pretend this whole thing never 'appened."

"No." I said stubbornly. "I'm staying here. I'm never going back to that stupid junkyard again."

Jerrie and Teazer left sadly, promising that they'd be back the next morning. I spent the day lamenting that I hadn't made a better first impression at the junkyard, and that I had just messed everything up. I was feeling pretty low. There wasn't much to eat in the alleyway, and there was no water. I wished I was back with my family. It was very lonely in the dark alleyway, and I wished that I had never run off from my family to go exploring, all those weeks ago.

I was way farther out in the city than any of the other cats dared go. Now and then the kittens would wander off to see the city, Jerrie and Teazer went all the time, and the older cats would go occasionally, but there was a distinct boundary, and none of them would cross that invisible line. I was on the other side of that line, in what I had been told was Macavity territory. Jerrie and Teazer were risking their lives to cross the line to come find me. Apparently, Jerrie and Teazer had once been in Macavity's service. They had left to join the Jellicle tribe. Macavity had allowed them to go, because they were only kittens, but on the condition that they never stray into his area of the city again.

The next day, Jerrie and Teazer came to see me again, pleading that I come home. Once again, I refused.

"I'm never coming home again, so stop asking." I snapped.

The pair of them spent several hours with me, talking and joking, and now and then slipping subtle hints into the conversation that I should come back to the tribe. They gave me a bit of food and water, before leaving.

"Jus' think about it, okay, Caly?" said Teazer as they left. "Jus' think about it."

I did think about it. I didn't want to be in the tribe, but oh how I loved Misto. What to do, what to do.

The next day, Jerrie and Teazer returned, but this time, they brought with them Munkustrap. Munkustrap looked distinctly uneasy, being on the other side of the Jellicle boundary line.

"Please come home, Calypso. We all miss you. If you come home, we'll pretend this whole Misto/ Plato fiasco never happened. We can make it better. And besides, it's not safe for you to be in this area of the city. It's Macavity territory. You could get hurt. He never passes up a chance to hurt a Jellicle. Just look what he did to Bomba and Demeter!" I stared at Munkustrap, saying nothing, but my tough resolve was slowly softening.

"Come back tomorrow." I said softly, after a while. "I'll tell you what my final decision is." Munkustrap nodded.

"Very well. I'll return tomorrow." With that, the three of them left. After they were gone, I sat alone in the ally. I had so much to think about. Once again, I was being foolish and stupid. Being stubborn wasn't really working that well for me. It took me a while to work all of this out, but finally I decided that I would return to the junkyard, suck it up and apologise to Misto, tell Plato that he could be Victoria's tom-friend if he wanted, tell Victoria to go screw herself, tell Cassandra how much of a bitch she was, and then wait and see what would happen.

I fell asleep quite late that night, because my mind was buzzing. I was suddenly awakened a few hours later by a loud thump. I jumped at the sudden noise.

"W-who's there?" I asked tentatively. All I heard in reply was a low chuckle. I heard a noise behind me, and I turned around. There was nothing there. When I turned back again, I found myself staring into the grinning face of a ginger cat. I gulped. "Y-y-you're…" The tom grinned more widely still.

"Macavity." He finished my sentence for me. I began screaming for help. Macavity didn't try to stop me. He just sat there grinning. When I paused for a breath, he put a paw on my lips. I shuddered. "Now, now, what's all this noise about?" He said silkily. "There's nobody around to hear you. Why don't you be a good little girl and hush now. We don't want to make this harder for ourselves, now do we?" I stopped screaming, and instead trembled in fear. "That's right." Macavity said. "Just hush." Then, before I knew what was happening, he had scooped me up in his powerful arms, and dragged me back to his den, on the far end of his territory. I screamed for help and pleaded for mercy, until my voice was cut off from the outside world by the heavy iron door swinging shut.

**Oh no!!!!! Sexy tomcat to the rescue!!! Calypso must be saved!!!!! Please review!!! **


	25. An Aura of Menace

**Hey Guys! I've been meaning to write _something_ for a long time, but I've been having computer troubles. SORRY! (If I have any readers left at all...) **

**This chapter is fluff. Absolutely nothing happens, except an exquisite description of our favorite villain, Macavity. But, this did seem like the perfect nailbiting place to leave it off. **

**More to follow soon!**

**Chapter 25 - An Aura of Menace**

I lay alone in the stone cold room, tied up, and quaking with fear. I could see all around me the remains of the room's former occupants. Frantic claw marks on the walls and door, and spots of dried blood dotting most every surface of the dismal room. The languid air smelled of decay. I wished that I hadn't been so stupid, running off into Macavity's territory. My problems with Misto, Plato, Munkustrap, Cassandra and Victoria seemed so futile now. None of that would matter in the long run. What did matter, and what I needed to focus on was escaping alive before Macavity did something dreadful to me. I tried to think of a plan, but my mind was spinning in a thousand different directions all at once. Before I could come up with anything solid, the door flew open, and in strode Macavity.

His aura was fiercely imposing. It was an aura of sheer power. I was terrified to my wits end just being in the same room as him. His dark, glassy eyes were hidden beneath his wild mane, peering into my mind with a penetrating, calculating accuracy that made me cower. His hair was not a single colour, but many at once. Various hues of reds, oranges and browns comprised the long mane that covered his sleek, muscular body. In the dim, shifting light, Macavity seemed to change colours with every movement. Macavity did look like both of his brothers. I could see in him, the wild hair and tall stature of Tugger, the sleek, toned muscles and broadness about the shoulders of Munkustrap. I could see one of his eyes peering out from his long hair, and it was the familiar shade of hazel that I had grown so accustomed to these last few months. It was the same colour of Munkustrap's eyes. Yet, this eye held none of the warmth that Munkustrap's did. They were cold and precise. Ruthless. This was not a tom to be toyed with. Macavity stared at me in silence. Finally he uttered three words.

"I want answers."

**Ooh! I'm scared. Hold me, Mistoffelees! *grins***

**Reveiw, and I'll write more ASAP! :)**


	26. A Sudden Realization

**Ooh! This is getting so good! What will happen next? No seriously, I have no idea. I'm just going with whatever happens to pop into my mind... :)**

**Chapter 26 - A Sudden Realization**

A powerful strike across my face did not break my jaw as Macavity intended, but my resolve was definitely beginning to weaken.

"Where is she?" he roared. "I don't give a damn about the younger one, but Demeter, the beautiful one, where is she?" He struck me again, and I moaned in pain.

"I don't know, I don't know. I've never seen her. There's no one called Demeter in our tribe..."

"You lie..." hissed Macavity. He grabbed me around the throat and hoisted me into the air, slamming me against the hard stone wall. My feet dangled uselessly in mid air. I couldn't breathe. "Where is Demeter?"

"Don't...know...not...Jellicle..." I sputtered.

Macavity threw me to the floor with a careless ease. He stood back for a few minutes, watching me gasp for breath with a serene interest, as one might calmly examine an interesting curio. After allowing me to catch my breath Macavity strode over to me, flipped me onto my stomach with one easy movement, and twisted my arm behind my back so hard that I thought it would break instantly.

"Where is Demeter?" He asked in a low, threatening voice.

"I don't know! I swear, I don't know!" I cried out in pain as a sickening crack of breaking bone rang out. "Please! You have to believe me!" I begged. "Stop hurting me!"

"Then tell the truth!" Macavity roared. "For once in your dammed Jellicle life tell the truth! All of you Jellicles are the same! You're weak! You protect somebody, even if it means getting hurt yourself! Well, Jellicle, how far will you go? Tell me, how much will you endure for the sake of your friend Demeter? Torture? Death? What will you go through to protect another out of loyalty? Loyalty. What is it? It's nothing but suffering at the hand of one for the sake of another! It's not worth your miserable life to protect hers!" Macavity's voice became quieter, gentler, but there was still a raw power hidden beneath it. No matter what this monster said, he was not to be trusted. Macavity knelt by my side, and lifted my head up in his paws. I tried to turn away but his grip was vicelike. "This can all end. All you have to do is tell me where Demeter is. Then there will be no more pain. It will stop. I won't hurt you anymore. You're at my mercy. It's not worth your life to protect hers. Show me that you're different from all of the Jellicles. Show me that you have some self respect, some dignity. Don't be a martyr. Just tell me where Demeter is."

I finally broke down. "She's is the junkyard, with the others. They keep a close eye on her, to make sure nothing happens to her." I hated myself for what I had just done, but I wanted the pain to stop.

Macavity smiled, and whispered in my ear, "Thank-you."

Macavity leaned over my face, and I got a glimpse of his hidden eye. It was a pale, foggy blue. The same colour as one of my bi-coloured eyes. Suddenly it occurred to me. That hazel of Macavity's other eye...it was similar to Munkustrap's, yes, but...

I gasped in horror. I felt a sudden hard thump on the back of my head, and I remembered nothing for a very long time.

When I awoke, I was lying out in the street on my back. It was raining lightly. Drops of water fell onto my face mingling with the blood that poured out of my nose and mouth, and dripped onto the pavement beside me. I ached all over. I had the feeling that Macavity had not simply thrown me onto the street after knocking me unconscious. I did not care to know what other indignities I had suffered after being knocked out. I hoped that he had only beaten me.

I gazed at the cloudy sky above me. The streetlamp cast a gentle glow on the pavement around me, and a mild wind scattered withered leaves along the wet sidewalk. Tears leaked from my blackened eyes as I thought of the trivial occurrences that I had been so worried about these last few months. It had now just occurred to me that none of that mattered. I needed to go apologise to Misto, because there was no point in trying to spite him or make him jealous. I was acting like a kitten. It was time to grow up. I was nearly four, nearly an adult, and I needed to act my age. I was so sick of the drama. It was this horrible event that Macavity had forced me to endure that had knocked me to my senses. Suddenly I remembered something terrible. Macavity knew where Demeter was. _My mother_. Those two words hit me like a shockwave. I needed to go get help from the others.

"Just swallow your pride and do it, Calypso." I murmured as I forced myself to my feet. Summoning all of my strength and courage, I began racing back towards the junkyard.

***hides* Please don't shoot me! I only made Macavity beat up Calypso so that she could have her sudden realization of what an idiot she really is. **

**Ha! Bet ya didn't see that plot twist coming! Demeter and Macavity are really Calypso's parents! Sorry if that twist is a little Mary-Sueish and totally cliché, but I finally put in that tie-in to Calypso's eyes. See? It wasn't just a pointless detail, it was _foreshadowing!_ :)**

**Please review!**


	27. A Sad Reunion

**I'm back! With this lame excuse for a chapter that took me forever to write. Before you all kill me, they will eventually get back together; I promise.**

**I'm SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Chapter 27- A Sad Reunion**

I had never run at such a speed as I did back to the junkyard. My mind was still numb with shock of my revelation. _Macavity_ was my father. _Demeter_ was my mother. Things couldn't possibly get any stranger than this. I felt as though I had been running for hours and hours. I couldn't seem to remember where the junkyard was. In my blind panic, I made several wrong turns, missed turnoffs, and got myself boggled up more times than I care to remember. I was finally back on the right track back to the junkyard, when I ran headlong into something. Something warm and soft, and furry. Or should I say _someone_. It was Munkustrap, and he looked very startled to see me.

"Calypso!" he exclaimed, his tone full of worry and concern. "Where have you been? I was out all night looking for you, but you disappeared from the spot where you said you'd be! What happened? Where were you? What-"

"Munkustrap..." I cut in breathlessly, "Macavity...he knows where Demeter is. He's going to hurt her, I just know it. You have to find her, take her somewhere safe."

"Whoa, slow down Caly..." Munkustrap began. I clung to him, pleading.

"Please...you have to listen. Macavity kidnapped me, he- he knows where Demeter is! I didn't mean to tell, but he hurt me so bad...I couldn't take it anymore. I told him where Demeter is. He knows! You have to find her!"

"Macavity?" Said Munkustrap sharply. "He knows where Demi is?"

"Yes..." I sobbed, gasping for air.

Munkustrap hoisted me onto one shoulder effortlessly and raced down the winding streets.

I must have passed out sometime during the trip, because the next thing I knew, I was laying in Munkustrap's den, alone. I sat up, looking around. It was still pouring outside, but I could hear cats shouting and racing frantically around the junkyard. I wondered if Demeter was still safe. As I was pondering what to do next, Misto came in.

"Hey." He said, quietly. He seemed at a loss for words.

"Hey." I responded, lamely.

"So...how are you feeling?" he asked. "Macavity broke your arm, but I fixed it."

"Oh, um, thank you." I muttered, too embarrassed to look up. There was an awkward silence for several minutes, before I thought of something to say.

"So," I gestured towards the entrance to the den, "What's going on out there?"

"Oh," said Misto, sounding relieved that the silence had been broken, "They've taken Demeter and hidden her, and now the others are barricading the junkyard. Munkus says he expects that Macavity will strike tonight."

Suddenly, I fell, sobbing into Misto's arms.

"Misto, it's all my fault! I was so stupid, and I ran away, and then I wouldn't come home, and then Macavity kidnapped me, and then he hurt me so much, and he made me tell him where Demeter was, and now it's all my fault if she gets kidnapped and hurt by Macavity!" I wailed. Misto patiently held me in his arms while I bawled. After I had stopped wailing for a moment, he murmured into my ear,

"It's not your fault, Caly. You held up longer than any of us ever could have. We're proud of you. Nobody is holding anything against you."

I sniffed, and Misto nuzzled me, just like he used to. We sat quietly for what seemed like an eternity. It felt so good to be back in Misto's arms. But he still wasn't my Misto. He belonged to that awful Cassandra. Just then, with perfect timing, Cassandra sidled in.

"Misto, sweetie, Munkustrap says he needs you out- Oh my. What are you doing with _her_?" Misto stood up quickly.

"Oh, uh, we were just, um, Calypso had a rough night, and we were just talking."

"That looked like a bit more than talking, dear." Said Cassandra suspiciously, wrinkling her nose at me, as if I were something dirty that needed to be taken outside. "Anyways, Munkustrap wanted you to come outside; He needs your help with something." She said, before strutting out again.

"Yes, I'll be out in a moment." Said Misto to her retreating back. As soon as she was gone, Misto ran his paws through his hair. "For the love of the everlasting cat, I HATE her."

I stared at Misto, unable to believe what I was hearing. Misto winked at me, before continuing. "She's so overbearing, and all she ever does is talk about how much she hates you."

"So, why don't you break up with her?" I asked tentatively.

"Honestly, I'm terrified of her." Confessed Misto, with a shy smile. For the first time in what seemed like forever, I found myself laughing uncontrollably. Tears streamed out of my eyes as I howled with mirth.

"A conjuring cat terrified of a griping...Cassandra?" I hooted. "For goodness sake, blast her with your magical powers and be done with it!" Misto grinned sheepishly.

"You, know. I think one of these days I just might, if she keeps up with her gossiping nonsense." Misto grinned. "Sorry, Caly, but I have to be going now. You're free top come out and help with the preparations, if you'd like, or you can stay in here." He turned and left the den. The smile faded from my face and I was left with an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. True, Misto loathed Cassandra, but he still had no interest in me. I had been demoted to the status of 'good friend' and there was nothing more I could do to change it. The hard finality of it struck me as fiercely as Macavity had. I had lost my chance; I had lost Misto forever.


	28. Fight to the Death

**If I do say so myself, THIS CHAPTER IS FREAKING AWESOME!**

**Heehee. **

**Chapter 28 - A Fight to the Death**

I awoke in the middle of the night to the sounds of frantic screams. I leapt out of bed and ran to the door, peering into the darkness. Parts of the junkyard were ablaze, and henchcats were leaping all over the place, attacking the frightened Jellicles. I stared in horror at the sight before me. And then there were the screams.

"Macavity's got Demeter!"

"Where is he?"

"He's over there!"

"Macavity's not there! Where did he go?"

"No, wait, he's gone over there!"

"Which way?"

"AFTER HIM!"

A band of Jellicle toms tore after Macavity who was dragging Demeter behind him, bound and gagged. Munkustrap was in the lead, followed by Plato and Admetus, bravely tearing after him, and then by Skimbleshanks, Coricopat, Alonzo and Mungojerrie. Misto was in the central clearing, frantically putting out fires with his magic. Where were the other kittens? And the queens? What about Old Deuteronomy and the other elderly cats? Suddenly, Tugger materialized out of nowhere. He was sweating and blood dripped from a gaping wound on his brow.

"Calypso, you need to get out. Now. Get out of the junkyard, and meet up with the others. Teazer is leading them to safety. Go. Now." Tugger urged, pushing me firmly towards the junkyard entrance.

"But Tugger..." I protested.

"No, you need to get out. Pouncival and Tumblebrutus were injured trying to rescue Jemima from a henchcat, Demeter's been kidnapped and someone's been killed. Get out NOW!"

Upon hearing those words, I turned and fled for my life. Someone was dead. Who was it? I couldn't bear to think about it. I tore out of the junkyard, and found a small group of Jellicles, huddling together, shaking and terrified. I looked about, trying to see who had been killed, but it was too dark to really tell who was there and who was missing. I sat, shaking with Victoria, Electra and Etcetera, watching the commotion from a distance. Flames were shooting up higher than ever from the blazing inferno. Black smoke poured from at least a dozen locations. Screams and bangs echoed from the junkyard, where a colossal fight was ensuing. I watched in terror and horror, praying for the lives of those still trapped in the junkyard. All of a sudden, there was a tremendous explosion, and the ground rattled and shook. Several cats screamed. I was one of them. Suddenly, Munkustrap came bursting out of the junkyard, half carrying, half dragging his semiconscious brother, Tugger. Victoria, Electra and Etcetera moaned in horror. Skimbleshanks followed soon after Munkustrap, supporting a bleeding Jerrie. The rest of the toms followed closely after. Plato and Admetus staggered over to us, and the other queens fell about them, trying to see if they were alright. I was still staring and the blazing junkyard. Misto had still not emerged from the inferno. Tears stung my eyes as I thought that maybe Misto had been killed. Munkustrap reached out group and gently deposited Tugger on the ground, before turning back towards the junkyard. He was halfway there when a massive, looming figure stepped out of the flames, burning ginger, and with an aura of pure menace.

"Ah, big brother, coming to finish me off, are you? Well do your worst, for you'll never find Demeter anyways!" Cackled Macavity maniacally.

"Where is she?" Roared Munkustrap, with an unleashed fury that I had never before seen in him. "Where is my Demeter?"

"Ah, you'll looksie, but you never findsie!" Giggled Macavity.

Munkustrap lunged at him, tearing and biting. Tugger, who had only just come to struggled to sit up and aid his brother, but was firmly pushed down by Jennyanydots.

"You're not well, Tugger. "She said softly. "Besides, this is between the two of them. Let them finish it."

The two toms circled each other hissing, ears flattened down, snarling and furious. Munkustrap was the first to make a move, flying at Macavity with all his strength. He pinned Macavity down by the throat and proceeded to squeeze the life out of him. Macavity was fading, but at the last second, put a foul kick in an off-limits area, and threw Munkustrap off of him. Macavity grabbed Munkustrap's arms and twisted them both behind his back in one smooth movement. Munkustrap's face contorted with pain as Macavity slowly pulled his arms up, threatening to dislocate them both. In a last ditch effort to save his arms, Munkustrap preformed a tricky manoeuvre, twisting out of Macavity's grip, severely hurting his left arm in the process. Macavity landed a massive blow on Munkustrap's jaw, breaking it instantly. Crimson blood poured out of Munkustrap's mouth and nose, and he stumbled back a few steps. Macavity struck him in the stomach, and Munkustrap doubled over wheezing. It looked as though Macavity was going to win. Macavity advanced on Munkustrap, smiling smoothly.

"Well, well, big brother. Looks like you don't have what it takes to be the Jellicle protector after all, hmm?" Munkustrap said nothing, his eyes lowered. Macavity continued to taunt. "That's right, little Jellicle. You're weak and pathetic. It's really too bad you don't have powers like mine. Then maybe you'd amount to something." Macavity punched Munkustrap in the stomach, and the tribe protector fell to his knees. "Do you surrender? You should. It would save you needless HUMILIATION!" Macavity kicked Munkustrap, who fell completely over, curled up, and moaning. "You are a pathetic Jellicle. All of this pain to save one useless whore of a queen. Beg me for mercy; beg me for death. I'm sympathetic. I will make sure if comes swiftly." Macavity turned to face the rest of us. "Bow down to your new Jellicle leader and I will spare his pathetic life and will banish him instead." From behind Macavity, Munkustrap was hauling himself slowly to his feet.

"They will never bow to you. You are the weak one. Jellicles have self respect. They will never accept you as their leader!"

"Oh, dear brother, so you still want to play, do you? Fine then. And let this one be to the death, for I'll tolerate no more of your pathetic attempts at glory."

Macavity lunged at Munkustrap, who weakly tried to defend himself. But it was no use. He was losing strength; resistance was futile. Macavity kicked Munkustrap to the ground, and pinned him down with a foot on his chest.

"Now is the end, brother. Say goodbye to your friends." Macavity put his razor sharp claws to Munkustrap's throat and pressed. The claws began to cut in; blood began to ooze out. The rest of us could only watch helplessly as Munkustrap was being murdered before our eyes. None of us were strong enough to take on Macavity. Munkustrap gasped for breath. Death was approaching. Suddenly, out of the flames leapt Misto, teeth barred, hissing furiously. He shoved Macavity off of Munkustrap and tackled him to the ground. This gave Munkustrap time to stagger to his feet, and make his way over to Macavity. Munkustrap loomed over Macavity, who was pinned firmly down by Mistoffelees.

"No, this is the end for YOU, brother." Said Munkustrap. And he broke Macavity's neck.

**I have not yet decided which character was killed in the fray. But I will decide soon. Please review!**


	29. Aftermath

**What can I say? I'm hurriedly posting chapters to make up for the four month lapse in chapter postal. (Is that a word?)**

**Chapter 29 - Aftermath**

The entirety of the Jellicle tribe surrounded Macavity's lifeless body. Here lay the remains of the tom who had tormented us so for so very many years. Eventually, Jellylorum had the sense to cover the corpse with a sheet. The crowd moved silently off from the scene.

Munkustrap was in a bad way. He had collapsed shortly after killing his brother, and all of the elder cats were tending to him, and the others injured in the fray. Those among the injured were Munkustrap, Tugger, Alonzo, Plato, Admetus, Bombalurina, Jemima, Pouncival, Tumblebrutus and Coricopat. Demeter was still missing. All of Macavity's henchcats had been killed by the mob of toms. Macavity's reign of terror was over.

I was still in shock over what had happened. I staggered over to Misto, who was standing, mute, staring blankly ahead, unable to believe what had just happened.

"Misto?" I asked tentatively. He turned to look at me, shaking. I pulled him into an embrace, nuzzling him softly. "I was so worried that you had been killed in the fire." I murmured into his ear. He twitched suddenly.

"The fire!" He exclaimed, leaping up and dashing off to the junkyard. After twenty painstaking minutes, he returned, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Well, it is a lot easier to put out all of those fires when there are no henchcats resetting them every few seconds." He smiled weakly. "I've disposed of all of the corpses of the henchcats, and I had enough energy to magically repair most of the damage done on the junkyard. I'll fix the rest tomorrow."

Misto and I sat in silence for several long minutes. I finally plucked up the courage to say to Misto what I have wanted to say for so long. "Misto, I am so sorry. I've been such an idiot. This 'thing' with Macavity has brought me too my senses. I've grown up. I know I've been a stubborn fool, and I resent myself for it. I know you can never forgive me for the pain I've caused you, and I could never expect you to. All I ask is that you give me a second chance. I'm not like I was before. I've made some mistakes; we both have, but can we not put the past in the past and be like we used to? I love you so, so much, and I've been too much of an idiot to see it until now. You once told me that you would love me forever, no matter what, and I just have to know that somewhere inside of you, there is a little piece of your soul that is still devoted to me. What happened to that loving, playful Mistoffelees who used to help me bug Tugger, and who used to play with me and the other kittens? Where is that Mistoffelees who promised me he'd always be there for me, who promised he'd be with me forever, through thick and thin? I don't deserve your forgiveness, the Everlasting Cats knows that, but could you not find it in your heart to forgive your pathetic Caly, who adores you more than all the balls of yarn in the world?" Mistoffelees stared at me, very much astounded.

"Caly...I have no idea what to say..." he began, when Tugger came slowly over to us. I had never seen him this solemn and serious, so adult-like and quiet.

"Misto, I'm so sorry. Cassandra...she was caught in the fire, trapped beneath burning timber. She was alive, but only just, when Admetus and Alonzo pulled her out. She died shortly thereafter." Said Tugger quietly. Misto stared, aghast, tears welling up in his eyes. I know he had hated Cassandra, but even so, to lose someone you had been with for so many weeks must have been hard. Tugger silently left the two of us, to help tend to the injured. Misto looked at me helplessly.

"Calypso, I'm sorry. It can't be right now. Maybe one day, but not now." He said, before hurrying off to magically heal the wounded, repair damage, and generally do anything to keep his mind off of his dead girlfriend. He blamed himself for her death, I knew, and I could not see how he wouldn't. After all, he had been the one putting out the fires. Had he put out the fire that was slowly consuming Cassandra, she would have made it. He hadn't even gotten to say a final goodbye. He was overwhelmed with grief, and his sadness lapsed over into me. I felt his pain, his burden. As much as I loathed Cassandra, and had dreamed of her dying, I didn't actually want her gone. As pretentious as she was, she was a part of the junkyard, and there was an empty hole where she should have been. I stood silently on the sidelines, watching the Jellicles repair the damage to their beloved junkyard. I myself couldn't help but feel guilt for the destruction of our home, the injury of my fellow Jellicles, and the death of my arch-enemy. I had been the one who betrayed Demeter to Macavity, and caused this whole incident. I felt so out of place now. Ever since I had arrived in this tribe I had caused problems. But no more running away. I was going to stand up and take responsibility. I walked up to Munkustrap, who was back on his feet, slightly wobbling, but nonetheless healthy again.

"Munkus, what can I do to help?"


	30. The Funeral

**Yikes! We're almost done here! This chapter has been changed from whence I first ended it. It was too quick. I cut some stuff out. If you are severely opposed to this chapter, I will glady re-write it; Just send me a review and I'll make the needed changes. Well, we have four, maybe five chapters left, before I leave you guys. What a ride this has been. First I abandon you, then I write the rest of the story in one night. Oops... ;)**

**Chapter 30 - The Funeral**

It took Mistoffelees but a moment to recover the missing Demeter. He had, after all, recovered cats of the missing variety before. And by cats, I mean Old Deuteronomy. Mistoffelees was devastated at the loss of his much loathed queen-friend, which was very understandable. After the damage had all been repaired, the bodies of Macavity and the henchcats had all been burned and the injured had all been healed, Cassandra's funeral was held. Everybody seemed to be blaming themselves for the death of their comrade. But above all, it was Misto and I who felt the most responsibility for the events which had taken place that led to the untimely death of our kin.

Old Deuteronomy presided over the ceremony for Cassandra. She was already buried, as her body was too grotesquely burned for her fellow Jellicles to look upon one last time. Every cat in the tribe was there, with the exception of her sister, Exotica. Exotica had mysteriously disappeared the day after Cassandra's death, and nobody had seen her since. Jerrie had darkly hinted that, consumed with grief for her deceased sister, Exotica had fled to the city, and flung herself off the pier. Nobody could confirm this, of course, but it was the general consensus that Exotica too was dead.

On the day of the funeral, we all gathered around the grave, which was situated just outside the junkyard, at the site of Macavity's downfall. That particular location had a symbolic meaning to all of us. Plato and Victoria stood arm in arm, staring forlornly at the grave. Tumble, Pouncival and Jemima stood clustered together, silently crying. Admetus stood with Electra, Etcetera, Jerrie and Teazer. Bomba was clustered tearfully with Jelly, Jenny, Skimble, Bustopher, Alonzo, Asparagus' Sr. and Jr. and Coricopat and Tantomile. Tugger abandoned his ego and held Misto, whom he loved like a brother, in a tight embrace, mourning the loss of not only Cassandra, but Misto's will to live. I stood alone on the edge of the group, biting back silent, guilty tears. Old Deuteronomy came to the front of the group, and began to speak softly.

"We are gathered here today, to mourn the death of a friend, a sister, family to all of us. And while not all of us may have gotten along," Old Deuteronomy shot a pointed look at me, and I began to sob even harder, "deep down inside, we all loved each other. Cassandra's death was a tragic accident, due to circumstances beyond any of our controls. No fault is to be laid by any to another. Cassandra had many good qualities. She was a loyal friend; she loved and trusted those around her..." Old Deuteronomy continued, but it was too heart wrenching to listen. Despite what anyone may say, I knew that it was my fault that this whole fiasco had happened. I had betrayed my tribe, I had caused the destruction of the junkyard, and I had ultimately led Cassandra to her untimely death. I broke away from the group, weeping uncontrollably. In my misery, I suddenly felt two pairs of arms wrap around me. It was Munkustrap and Demeter. I collapsed in their arms, unable to deal with the guilt that filled me to the brim. They both murmured condolences in my ear, and held me like the parents I had never had. My mother and uncle, Demeter and Munkustrap.


End file.
